Learn the saucer pass: puck on the heel, open the blade, lift it flat and spinning over sticks and land it softly with a teammate, with milestones.
In a saucer pass you lift the puck flat and spinning just over sticks or skates in the passing lane and let it land flat with a teammate — like a saucer, hence the name. It solves a problem that the normal flat pass cannot: an opponent's stick lies right in the passing lane.
The honest answer to "when do I use the saucer?": less often than you think. Hockey Canada requires the passer to choose the right pass for the situation and not to slow the teammate down but to serve him in full stride [1]. Where the passing lane is free, the flat pass is the better choice. The saucer is a tool for one single situation, and it fails when the puck flies too high or wobbles: a tumbling puck is harder for the receiver to handle.
According to the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, the technique at its core consists of two things: the puck starts on the heel of the blade with the face open and then rolls in front of the body along the blade toward the teammate, which puts it into rotation and keeps it flat in the air [2]. It should land a few centimeters in front of the stick of your teammate [2]. For everything else: this is coaching practice, not science — I did not find a study on the saucer pass.
Prerequisites you can check yourself (practical standard, not a study):
From the puckhandling stance: puck beyond the body plane, blade at a right angle to the target, weight from the back to the front leg, pull with the top hand and push with the bottom hand, follow through low [1]. Milestone: 8 out of 10 passes land flat on your partner's stick.
Put the puck on the heel of the blade and open the blade slightly [2]. The puck then lies slightly angled, ready to roll off. Milestone: you hold the puck like this during calm skating without it slipping off.
Roll the puck in front of your body along the blade toward your partner. This is not a hitting movement like a slap shot but a rolling-off with pull and push [2]. The rolling produces the spin that keeps the puck flat. Milestone: the puck visibly spins and flies flat.
The saucer should fly just high enough to cross the stick. First practice with a stick or a cone on the ice 2 meters in front of you and lift the puck just over it. Milestone: 7 out of 10 pucks cross the obstacle and then land flat.
The goal is a puck that comes down just in front of your partner's stick and then slides on flat [2]. If it lands on the blade, it bounces; if it lands too early, it stays lying. Milestone: 6 out of 10 saucers land so that your partner can receive without correcting.
Only after that from slow skating, and last on the backhand. The backhand is much harder. Milestone: 5 saucers from skating in a row that the partner receives in stride.
A lifted puck flies at face and ankle height — both hurt. Play the saucer only to partners who are looking at you, never across a group or to goalies without equipment. Wear a helmet with face protection: in an NHL analysis, a visor reduced eye and other head injuries but not the number of concussions [3]. Never practice the saucer without a clear passing lane. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training.
Teach the receiver the landing. Tell your partner that the saucer lands "just in front of the stick" and have him lay the blade flat on the ice. The puck is then picked up on the ice instead of bouncing off the blade. Whoever practices the saucer also practices soft reception [1]. The two belong together.
A saucer pass is a pass in which the puck is lifted slightly, flat and spinning, to fly over sticks or skates in the passing lane and then land flat with the teammate [2]. It is a special pass, not a standard.
Puck on the heel of the blade, open the blade slightly and roll the puck in front of the body along the blade toward the teammate so that it spins and flies flat [2]. Aim for it to land a few centimeters in front of the stick. Start with a stick as an obstacle.
Only when a stick or skate lies in the passing lane and a flat pass is not possible. Hockey Canada requires choosing the right type of pass for the situation [1]. A saucer that fails can be a turnover.
Usually the clean rolling is missing: you hit the puck instead of letting it roll from heel to toe. A blade opened too far or a trajectory that is too high also makes the puck tumble [2]. Practice at short distance and with less height.
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