Forecheck

Forechecking is the act of pressuring the opposing team in their own defensive zone to disrupt their breakout and win the puck back high up the ice. Systems range from an aggressive 2-1-2, which throws two forecheckers deep to force turnovers, to a conservative 1-2-2 that clogs the neutral zone and waits. A team's forecheck is a window into its coach's soul: heavy forechecks trade energy for chaos, passive ones trade excitement for control. Analysts at Sportsnet track how zone-entry pressure swings possession.