Setting Goals in Hockey: The Complete Guide

Setting goals in hockey is easy. Setting goals that actually change how you train and play is much harder.

Players are constantly asked, “What are your goals?” The answers are usually things like making the team, scoring more goals, becoming a better skater or eventually playing college hockey. Those are all worthwhile ambitions, but they don’t tell a player what to do today.

A useful hockey goal should provide direction, create a plan and give you a way to measure whether you are improving. This guide walks through that process.

A hockey goal is a specific result a player wants to achieve through consistent, measurable action. The result matters, but the daily work behind it matters more.

For example:

The outcome is exciting, but it can be affected by your role, ice time, teammates, opponents and plain luck. The process is largely under your control. That is why the best goal-setting plans connect the outcome you want to actions you can repeat.

Hockey creates plenty of distractions. Players worry about their line, ice time, statistics, teammates, coaches and whether they will make the next team. Clear goals help direct that energy toward productive work.

Good goals can help a player:

Without a clear goal, “I want to get better” usually turns into a few motivated workouts followed by inconsistency. A defined goal gives the work a purpose.

Before deciding where you want to go, understand where you are now.

Evaluate your skating, puck skills, shooting, hockey sense, physical preparation and habits. Coaches and parents can help, but players need to participate honestly in the process.

Ask yourself:

That last question matters. A goal is only useful when the player is willing to do the work attached to it.

Players often create a long list of things they want to improve. The problem is that trying to improve everything at once usually means focusing on nothing particularly well.

Write down everything you would like to accomplish, then prioritize the list. Choose one primary goal for the next phase of your season or offseason. You can still work on other areas, but one goal should receive your clearest attention.

Your goal should be:

The SMART framework turns a vague ambition into an actionable hockey goal.

Define exactly what you will do.

Vague: “I want to become a better goal scorer.”

Specific: “I will shoot 10,000 pucks during the offseason.”

You need a number or clear standard that can be tracked. In the example above, every shot can be recorded. Other measurable actions might include completed workouts, skating sessions, video-review sessions or successful repetitions.

The goal should challenge you, but it must be possible within your schedule, resources and current ability. A difficult goal can create growth. An impossible one usually creates frustration.

The work should address something that will actually help your game. Shooting thousands of pucks may make sense for a player who needs a quicker release. Another player may benefit more from skating instruction, strength work or improving decisions under pressure.

Give the goal a deadline. “Someday” makes procrastination easy.

Instead of “I’ll shoot 10,000 pucks,” make the plan: “I’ll shoot 100 pucks per day, four days per week, for 25 weeks.”

Here are a few examples that connect a larger objective to controllable work.

Notice that none of these goals guarantees a particular line assignment, roster decision or statistic. They create a plan around things the player can influence.

A goal becomes useful when it appears on your calendar.

Start with the deadline and work backward. Decide how many quality sessions are realistic each week, then schedule them around team practices, games, school, work and recovery.

A simple weekly plan might include:

More work is not automatically better. The goal is consistent, focused repetition that can be maintained.

Keep the tracking system simple. A notebook, calendar or phone note is enough.

Record:

Statistics can be useful, but they should not be the only measurement. A player can perform well without scoring, and a goal can go in off someone’s skate after a poor decision. Look at the habits and performance underneath the result.

Accountability has two parts.

Write the goal down and review it regularly. Be honest when the plan slips. Missing a day is not failure, but repeatedly making excuses is a sign that the plan or commitment needs to change.

Share the goal with someone you trust—a coach, parent, teammate or training partner. Ask that person to check in at an agreed time. The purpose is not to create pressure. It is to create an honest conversation about the work.

Changing a goal is not automatically quitting. Adjust it when:

Do not change the goal simply because the work has become boring. Repetition is part of development.

The best hockey goals do more than describe a future result. They tell you what to do next.

Choose something meaningful. Connect it to actions you control. Put those actions on your schedule, track them honestly and adjust when the evidence tells you to.

The achievement will matter, but much of the value comes from the player you become while working toward it.

Want one thoughtful hockey conversation each week? Join the free Boost Hockey newsletter for coaching perspectives, player development and life around the game.