Defensemen ate some of the most important players on the ice and it is by no means an easy position to play. There are some key factors that every great defender has to have mastered. the most important thing is skating, a great defenseman has to be a good skater to keep up with the other teams forwards and to be able to skate the puck up the ice if they have space. Another important skill is to be able to make a good first pass. If the defender can’t make a breakout pass they’ll never leave their own zone this is also important to help create opportunities in the offensive zone. Lastly a great defender has to have a good stick to break up the opponents rushes and passes. If they defense can’t do this the other team will be able to skate around in the zone and create good scoring opportunities