Center High Defensive Zone Concepts

Even the best teams spend a solid chunk of the game in their defensive zone. How a team handles that time is a big part of their identity. Do they focus on containing the puck outside, or put more pressure on the puck carrier to win it back now? Do they spread out to be ready for a counterattack or collapse to corral rebounds? 

Today, we're going to discuss a fun d-zone concept: the center high zone. Traditionally, the center has to skate a lot and plays a pivotal role low in the defense. In a box+1, their role is to back up the strong-side defender and double team the puck if an opportunity arises, and chase to the other side if the puck switches. In a Czech press, their role is to fill in for whichever player is pressing the puck, taking up different corners of the zone as the puck moves. In a man coverage, they shadow an opposing forward, following them wherever they go. We'll get into the nuances of these systems another time, but suffice to say, the center usually has a lot of work to do.

Traditional Box + 1 setup

With the center doing more work down low, it frees up the wingers to be more creative on the breakout once the team wins the puck, whether that involves flying the zone or coming low to provide a support pass. It also means that a tired, slow, or defensively unaware center can kill a defense, giving up high danger shots, rebounds, and extended periods of time in the defensive zone.

There is an alternative way to play in the defensive zone. Instead of the center being the most responsible defender, they can become the least.

In a center high structure, the strong-side winger drops low to double team the puck. The center then fills what would usually be a winger's job. They block the passing lane up to the point and, if the puck goes high, take the shooting lane. Just like a box + 1, the weak side winger comes low to defend the high slot and defends the shooting lane.

What a center high defense looks like with the puck in the corner

If the puck switches sides, the defender and winger on the other side jump in to attack it. The center skates across to the new strong-side point. The idea is that the winger has a shorter path to the puck than the center would, allowing for more immediate pressure where it matters. If the puck does make it up to the point before the center can get across, the center coming across from the middle will force a low-danger play like a shot from the point or the defenseman cycling the puck back low.

East-West rotation

Why play like this? It comes down to personnel.

With this kind of system, a goal-scoring center will have more opportunities to create off the rush. They'll have a head start on the breakout- a speedy center can snatch a few breakaways playing like this, especially if the team has a winger who can really pass the puck. There is a natural passing lane from the strong-side winger to the center against a 1-2-2 forecheck if the play gets made quickly.

Who wouldn't want their star center catching this pass twice a game?

With less defensive workload, they'll also have more energy for offense. If your team has a big-minute superstar center, like a Connor McDavid or an Auston Matthews, wouldn't you rather they spend more of their finite energy putting pucks in the net instead of defending?

It also puts more immediate pressure on the puck. The strong side winger has a short path to the puck, meaning the offense has less time to make a play before they have to cycle the puck again. If your team has powerful, physical wingers, this effect is increased- a good body check or pin can take a former puck carrier out of the play.

Against a disciplined opposition that keeps two defenders high, the team will have a natural 4v3 advantage low. That low numerical advantage is vital for a zone defense, which has to sacrifice coverage someplace in order to achieve its goals, whether that's slot defense or in this case, puck pressure.

More and more teams do not play a disciplined 2-high offense though. They will send a defenseman into the fray on offense without a forward coming back to fill their place. A common tactic in this situation is to have the weakside winger pick up the cutting defender man to man, then drop the strong-side defender (in our case the center) lower, ready to cover either point. This turns the 5v3 low into a 4v3 and a 1v1. The 1v1 can be difficult to hold for an extended period of time (I'll discuss that more once we talk about man to man defense), but against a quick attack, it seals off that pass very effectively.

The weak-side winger can pick up the cutter, and the team keeps a 4v3 advantage low

That can be good when the cutter is a big threat, but it's giving up space. The alternative is to leave the cutter, trusting in the layers of defense on the strong side to take away that pass to keep the pressure on. It can be a problem if the puck carrier has time and space to make a pass to the cutter, but because the defense keeps its structure, the passer shouldn't have that kind of time.

Let's look at another situation- the offense successfully cycles the puck. For a high-pressure defensive system, it can spell trouble. Our players are heavily committed in the corner, and the structure shields from passes to the front and point, but not into open space behind. We're looking to apply pressure, so the answer is going to be more pressure. Our weak-side D steps out to defend the puck and slow the play down. The defenseman in the corner recovers to the middle, cutting off passing lanes. That takes a moment, so our weak-side winger drops down to cover the crease. The strong-side winger lets the defenseman clear out, then double-teams the puck.

Our defenseman will have switched sides, but we'll have puck pressure and more importantly, kept structure. A defense that is chasing is easily exploited.

Teams don't need to play this sort of defense all game, or even all shift. Switching into center-high coverage can be a fun trick to surprise the opposition. A forward on the puck who thinks they know where defenders are and puts their head down can be very easily dispossessed when a defender comes from someplace they aren't expecting. On the strong side, it's trivial to rotate- the winger drops low and the center curls higher into the zone to take their space.

If we want to transition from a box + 1 into the center high from an East-West switch, it's relatively straightforward, but the center has a long hike to get into position. That lag may cause trouble.

I love high-pressure defensive systems. In future entries, I'll cover others, like the Czech Press and Crab Pot, as well as the wide variety of collapsed zones and nuanced man-to-man coverages.