Hockey positions explained
A hockey team on the ice has six players: a goalie, two defensemen and three forwards. Each position has a job, and the way those jobs fit together is what turns six people chasing a puck into a team. Here's what each one does, how they work together, and how it all changes in 3-on-3 hockey, the format Brudvig Hockey uses.
The standard lineup
| Position | How many | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| Center | 1 | Faceoffs, playmaking, both ends of the ice |
| Wingers | 2 (left and right) | Scoring, working the boards, covering the opposing defense |
| Defensemen | 2 | Protecting the net, breaking the puck out, keeping the play in the zone |
| Goalie | 1 | Stopping the puck |
Teams change players constantly, usually in groups: forward lines of three and defense pairs of two. The best lines are built from players whose skills fit together.
Center
The center plays in the middle of the ice and is usually the busiest skater. Centers take most faceoffs, so winning draws is part of the job. On offense, the center often carries the puck through the middle and sets up wingers. On defense, the center comes back deep into the defensive zone, helping the defensemen down low around the net and in the corners.
Good centers tend to combine vision (seeing passes before they open), two-way commitment, and endurance, because they cover the most ice.
Wingers
The left and right wingers play along the sides of the ice. On offense they drive wide, get to the net, and shoot: wingers are often a team's main goal scorers. They also do a lot of work along the boards, winning puck battles in the corners.
On defense, wingers usually cover the opposing defensemen at the blue line, so the other team can't get easy shots from the point, and they help break the puck out along the boards.
Left shot, right shot
Players shoot either left (stick blade on the left side of the body) or right. Some coaches like wingers on their "strong side", where their forehand faces the middle of the ice. Others prefer the "off wing", a left shot on the right side, which opens up the forehand for one-timers and shots from the middle. Both are common.
Defensemen
Defensemen play behind the forwards. In their own zone, they guard the area in front of the net, battle in the corners, block shots and clear the puck. Their first pass, getting the puck out of the zone quickly and cleanly to a forward, starts most attacks.
On offense, defensemen usually hold the blue line ("the point"), keeping the puck in the zone and taking shots from distance, often aiming for tips and rebounds in front. Some defensemen are known for joining the rush or carrying the puck themselves; others are known for physical play and shutting down the other team's best forwards. Teams usually want a mix.
Goalie
The goalie stops the puck. That one sentence hides a lot of skill: positioning (being square to the shooter and at the right depth), skating in the crease, reading plays, and controlling rebounds so the puck doesn't sit in front of the net.
Modern goalies mostly play a "butterfly" style, dropping to their knees with the pads flared out to seal the bottom of the net, while keeping the gloves and body high. They also handle the puck, stopping dump-ins behind the net and passing to defensemen. A goalie can be pulled for an extra skater, which teams do when they're losing late or during a delayed penalty.
How the positions work together
Breaking out
When a team wins the puck in its own zone, the defensemen and center support each other close to the puck, while the wingers get open along the boards. A quick pass to a winger, then up the ice, is the classic breakout.
Attacking
In the offensive zone, forwards move the puck between the corners, the net front and the slot (the area right in front of the net between the faceoff circles), while defensemen hold the points. Good teams cycle the puck along the boards, then look for a pass into the slot or a shot from the point with a player screening the goalie.
Defending
Many teams play a zone defense in their own end: defensemen cover the net front and the corners, the center supports low, and wingers cover the points. The goal is to keep the puck to the outside and away from the slot.
Forechecking
When the other team has the puck in its zone, forwards pressure it, the forecheck, trying to force a turnover before the play can leave the zone. How many forwards go in is a coaching choice, a trade-off between pressure and safety.
Positions in 3-on-3 hockey
3-on-3 hockey, used in some overtime formats, many recreational leagues and lots of arcade games, has three skaters and a goalie per side. With that much open ice, fixed positions loosen up:
- One skater usually stays a little higher as a safety valve, so a turnover doesn't become an odd-man rush the other way.
- Puck possession matters more. Giving the puck away is dangerous, so teams often circle back and regroup rather than force a pass.
- Skating and individual skill shine. With space everywhere, one move can create a breakaway.
- Line changes are risky in the real sport, because a player heading to the bench leaves a big gap.
Positions in Brudvig Hockey
In Brudvig Hockey, each team has three skaters and a goalie, and you control one skater at a time: the puck carrier when your team has it, and on defense, the skater nearest the puck, unless you switch. The computer plays your two other skaters and your goalie.
The 3-on-3 lessons carry over:
- Don't both chase the puck. When you switch on defense, sometimes the best skater to control is the one between the puck and your net.
- Use your teammates. A pass across to one of them for a one-timer is the best chance in the game.
- Think like a defenseman when you don't have the puck. Stay between the carrier and the net. Your skater skates backwards when you back off facing the carrier, and a dive lays him out to block a shot or pass.
More in Brudvig Hockey tips and hockey game controls explained.
Positions and shifts
Because skating flat out is exhausting, real teams rotate their players in short shifts. A team typically dresses several forward lines and defense pairs. Coaches choose who plays against whom: a defensive line against the other team's top scorers, a scoring line when the team needs a goal. That matching is a big part of hockey strategy, and it's why the same player might see very different minutes depending on the game.
Special teams
Positions shift on the power play and the penalty kill:
- Power play: teams often use four forwards and one defenseman, or set up with a player in front of the net, two along the half-walls, one at the point and one in the slot. The goal is to move the puck until a shooting lane opens.
- Penalty kill: four skaters, usually in a box or a diamond, protecting the slot and blocking shots. Good penalty killers are disciplined, smart and willing to block shots.
Goalies need their own section
Goalie is the most specialized position in sports. Goalies wear different equipment (pads, blocker, catching glove, a bigger stick), train separately, and often stay on the ice for the whole game. A good goalie can win a game almost single-handedly, and a team's confidence often follows its goalie. In arcade games like Brudvig Hockey, the computer plays the goalies for you, and they move, butterfly, stack the pads and sprawl like the real thing.
Common beginner mistakes by position
- Forwards: everyone chasing the puck at once ("puck magnet" hockey). Spread out.
- Wingers: drifting into the middle and leaving the boards empty.
- Centers: forgetting to come back on defense.
- Defensemen: pinching in too far and getting caught behind the play.
- Everyone: passing to where a teammate is, not where he's going.
Positions in a sentence each
- Center: the connector, everywhere at once.
- Winger: the finisher and the board battler.
- Defenseman: the protector and the first pass.
- Goalie: the last line, and often the difference.
Which position suits you?
If you're starting out in the real sport, coaches often have new players try several positions. Some rough guides:
- Love scoring and shooting? Wing is a natural fit.
- See the whole ice and like setting others up? Try center.
- Like reading the play, hitting and making the first pass? Defense.
- Calm under pressure, quick reflexes, don't mind pucks flying at you? Goalie is a special job, with its own equipment and training.
Keep learning
For the rules that shape how positions play, read hockey rules explained. For the moves, see famous hockey moves. Or try thinking like a center or a defenseman yourself: play Brudvig Hockey free.