You can also start practice with skill games with rules such as only skate backward or scull with the skate blades always on the ice. Also play with a hockey or tennis ball.
Our last practice we started with 3 pucks each then one in the feet, then one in the feet and one on the stick and then moved to the skating a balance first no puck then with a puck and a shot.
Hey tony89,
I as well start with a SAG, it sure gets the players lather up - especially if you keep score and loser "5" push ups, while the winner counts.
Also, to break up the usual practice, is have a competitive day. Where we have our team split up, into two seperate teams (players name their team Darks- Dark Death vs Light-A Ray of Sunshine-whatever) and we have competitive games from start to finish (keep score in all games and keep a running count) - losing team has to bring the winners gear, with stick out to the car. The competitive day can have 4, 5, 6 or 10 seperate games and tally up the points.
The games are sags, but we do have some obstacle courses where they compete 1 -1, keep a running total, play for "6-8" minutes. Which ever team wins the most, gets one point - heck you can even have a simple "5" push up to the loser as well here. The obstacle course can be anything, around cones, jumping over a tire, slide under a stick held up by two cones, around the coaches and finish with a shot on net - heck anything to have them work on skating, edges, agility, puck handling under pressure, etc.
With all the indoor ice we get, spoiled, we have gone outside to play a 4 on 4 pond hockey game, goalies skate out, have two coaches play goalie and play for the "X" Cup. Loser shuvles the ice, while winning team gets the first shot at the hot chocolate the mom's make.
If you are interested I could show you a practice plan we used?
Good luck and have fun,
Iceman