The Art of the Face-off: Heavy Sticks and Strong Cores
It only takes a fraction of a second for a game to change directions.
The responsibility of winning face-offs requires a special kind of skillset, one that takes a unique type of player.
Since the first time they stepped onto the ice, Nashville Predators Ryan O’Reilly and Steven Stamkos always wanted to play center.
Winning face-offs is job No. 1.
O’Reilly first fell in love with hockey watching his older brother Cal get into the game and has been drawn to it ever since. He didn’t always have his brother's number in the faceoff dot but that was a challenge he needed to overcome early on.
“Cal was better at it for a while, he’s still really good on draws,” O’Reilly said. “The advantage I have is I’ve got the stiffer stick. I don’t know what his numbers are this year.”
“I think having an older brother allowed me to see how strong I needed to be on my stick,” O’Reilly said. “That’s something we’ve always been good at is having a heavy stick. That’s something as a kid we took pride in.”
O’Reilly’s dedication to the game led him to be drafted by the Colorado Avalanche. To make it in the NHL, players either adapted or bit the dust.
Right away, he made it a point to take an interest in teammates who were gifted at playing center and to absorb all the fine details associated with it.
“Always working with guys and seeing what they do and try to learn from them I guess,” O’Reilly said. “Paul Stastny was there, watching him as a centerman and how smart he was as a player and how defensively sound he was too. I got to see firsthand and learn a lot from him.”
Stastny was 23 years old when he led the Avalanche in scoring with 79 points in 2009-10 — O’Reilly’s rookie season. He also boasted a 50-percent face-off percentage that year while taking over 1,700 draws.
Ryan’s father Brian O’Reilly was a big influence when the brothers were younger, instilling the importance and skills it takes to win draws.
A big part of O’Reilly’s success in the faceoff dot today is getting low and having a strong core. His father often reminded him of the importance of this and it paid dividends.
“As a kid that was something he always talked about and when things weren’t going well, he reminded me of getting low and being strong out of my core. At times it was either too much with my arms or how I was timing it,” O’Reilly said. “We were always making a change with hand positioning or getting lower or up high, stuff like that.”
The whole process of a faceoff is much more intricate than what a typical fan may realize.
“There’s so much that goes into it. Knowing when to make a switch, watching the referee’s hand, knowing where our guys are going to be, or trying to know what we’re doing in a loss or win. It all happens in under a second then everyone has to make a decision,” O’Reilly said.
When mentoring younger players, O’Reilly has one consistent message for finding success in the circle.
“Getting low. I know there’s guys that like to go forehand too, which they’re good at,” O’Reilly said. “It’s always getting low in your core which is the biggest thing. That’s tough because sometimes for myself I get too much on my toes to win a draw and get antsy. That’s when the arms reach a little more instead of being based in my core.”
Steven Stamkos has also always been drawn to two-way hockey.
It took a lot of effort early on to learn the position but after seven seasons of scoring 40 or more goals, he’s clearly made the most of it in the NHL.
“As you progress you learn about the defensive responsibilities that come along with playing that position. You have to be willing to pay attention at both ends of the ice,” Stamkos said. “From an offensive perspective, you’re in the middle of the ice more and you can utilize some speed and have the puck as much as possible. As a kid that was fun.”
During his rookie season, Stamkos was often pulled aside by former teammates Jeff Halpern, Zenon Konopka, and Vincent Lecavalier to offer tips.
“As you progress there becomes more of a focus on winning faceoffs because that equates to puck possession, opportunities, and trust from coaches to put you in certain situations,” Stamkos said.
“When I was playing in juniors and things were a little easier you weren’t as focused on winning faceoffs. In my first five years of playing in the league there’s tricks of the trade that come along that takes you a while to figure out,” he continued.
“As you progress you realize how important they become.”
The first thing Stamkos takes into account, like other centermen in the NHL, is which hand the opponent is using. Then he builds a database of scouting reports. Tendencies reveal themself over the course of a game which allows the centerman to prepare for future battles.
When Stamkos goes up against a hot player in the dot he starts to communicate more with his wingers to jump in on the play.
“You tell your wingers to try to cheat to jump and go get the puck because he’s having a good night,” Stamkos said.
Over the last several weeks Stamkos has played on a line with all right-handed shots. Even in that regard, there are advantages and disadvantages to consider when playing down the middle.
“For the most part, we’ve done a good job of adjusting to that. We’re going to have to be in certain areas where maybe it’s not our first instinct to be because when you have a lefty and righty combination it’s easier to be in different spots,” Stamkos said.
For the year, O’Reilly leads the team with a face-off percentage of 56.2. Stamkos is also winning more than not this year with a 51.2 percent. Needless to say, they are excellent examples of how to approach the face-off circle.
Rookie Fedor Svechkov has been living out what O’Reilly and Stamkos had to go through as well. He’s on his way to becoming a consistently good centerman, but still has much to learn from the sharpest minds in the game.
“Faceoffs for me is the biggest challenge because it’s a little tough for me. I gotta grow up in the [faceoff dot]. Right now that’s the biggest focus for me in my game, along with playing in the D-zone,” Svechkov said.
He’s been working on his faceoffs every practice. Svechkov said veterans have been sprinkling in tips during his time in Nashville this season.
Following practice on Tuesday, the talented two-way rookie spent extra time with O’Reilly working on short saucer passes. They were the last two players on the ice.
It’s only up from here as the young Russian has a prime opportunity to play bigger minutes for Nashville down the final stretch of the season.
To develop into a player like Stamkos or O’Reilly, he will have to learn to play with a heavy stick and a strong core.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
