Welcome to passing 101. This class emphasizes mastery of passing techniques that will help to improve your offensive skills.
We begin under the impression that you have basic knowledge of the games rules and regulations. Let's get started!

Precision passing is instrumental in any teams offense. Knowing how, when, and who it pass to will make the difference between winning and losing.

~ Threading the needle
Obviously the most important thing is getting the pass where you intend. It's a bit more complicated than just pressing pass (B). You need to direct the pass by press the directional pad in the direction of where you which the puck to go, while you press pass (B).
Another important thing to note: How hard you press pass influences it's accuracy. The harder you the press pass, the more likely it will bounce off of the stick of the player which you intended.
Finally, you need to know how to 'switch' to the player to which the pass is arriving, before the pass arrives. This is vital for breakaway passes and puts you in control before the pass arrives so you can turn to a more advantageous position before you receive the pass. This is done by pressing (B) when the pass is on it's way, this will switch to the player closest to the puck. I can't say enough how important this is to learn for effective passing.

These attributes greatly influence a player ability to send, and receive a pass.

   Pass Accuracy - Crucial for obvious reasons, this also controls the velocity of a pass too.
   Stick handling - If a player lacks stick handling skills, there's a good chance passes will bounce off of his stick.
   Offensive Awareness - Your man's has to get open right? This has an impact on his ability to get open or find loose pucks.

These tips will get the pass to your intended teammate with accuracy. Below you'll find tips for when to pass.

~ 'The Candidate' Pass
In the game of Chess, 'The Candidate Move' is made by analyzing the board and forming a mental list of moves, after quickly calculating all the the available moves that are worthy to the player he selects the best move and acts accordingly.
The reason why I've dubbed this section of the passing tips, 'The Candidate' Pass is because this is exactly how you should perform passes! Hence it's a fitting analogy. When in possession of the puck quickly survey your potential passing lanes. When you find an open man, and he's in a good position that's advantageous to what your trying to do with the puck, send it his way.

Here are 2 examples for making the best pass available.

1. Setting up in the zone

2. Return; no openings

3. Found an open man

4. Clear path to net

.1 Breakout D to C

2. Wait for open man

3. Avoid the pressure

4. Open man; path to net

The major theme with the two examples is patience. Waiting for the ice to open up for the 'Candidate Pass' then calmly hitting the open man.

Here are some more tips for precision passing

   If the pressure coming up the ice is too great drop it back to your D man and regroup for a clean breakout.
   Never force a pass. If the lanes not there; it's not there. Look for another 'Candidate Pass' or crash the net.
   Return feeds (when a player plays catch with another) will give your opponent reason to respect your space.
   Look to find your top player with a pass as he is streaking up the ice. If he get's the pass in stride chances are you'll score.
   Avoid making passes to players who aren't in your line of sight (off screen).

Practice these tips and you will ramp up your passing skills and improve your offensive potency.