Most players move the puck back and forth in front of them. But if you want to move your ability to the next level you have to learn to move it out in front of you as an offering and then snatching it back again when an opponent falls for the bait. This one move will make you dangerous and frustrating to play against and it will open up all kinds of possibilities for you to take advantage of.
The maneuver is simple but it takes quite a lot of practice to perfect. An hour or two on the ice a week will not be enough and you'll need to take matters into your own hands and practice in the driveway or wherever you can to put in the time you need to master this skill.
You'll need a stick, a puck or ball and a good attitude. If you're using a ball make sure it's not a tennis ball because the felt skin will grab the stickblade and the ground and you will find yourself more frustrated than skill enhanced. Really, the best use of a tennis ball in hockey is to cut it up and stuff it in a whiffle ball so that you have a slick ball with a dampened core.
Stand with your feet comfortably apart, hands on your stick with your elbows out and the ball/puck in front of you. Push the ball/puck forward and before it gets out of reach place the toe of your stickblade in front of the ball/puck and pull it back to starting position. Don't take any grief from the ball/puck, it's gonna want to squirm away but put the stickblade toe down with authority and pull it back like you mean it. Be sure and cup the puck lightly with soft hands when you end your drawback to gain control for your next move.
Most of your power should come from the top hand with your bottom hand acting as a guide. Give it a little snap with your wrists to quicken the drawback to gain time for your next move which may be a Wide Sweep around your opponent.
You're going to feel like you need to stare at the ball/puck at first as you figure out what's going on but wean yourself from it as soon as possible. This is a skill that works best with your head up finding your teammates, open ice to move into and analyzing your opponents. One good method to do this is to do one Toe Dragon watching the ball/puck and then doing the next with your head up, alternating back and forth until you're comfortable with just the feel. Another way to try is using the last method but don't ever look directly at the ball/puck, just keep it within your vision at the very bottom of your sight, so that your scanning ahead but you can still see it down below you.
Variations
Shift up the speed and length you push the ball/puck out in front of you, maybe add a little hesitation before you pull it back to make it more tempting to your opponent to take your bait.
Also you can try pulling the ball/puck into your feet and kicking it back forward with your instep or outside foot or kicking it across to your other foot to kick forward.
These are the most basic maneuvers utilizing this skill. Use your imagination to develop other variations. It can be used with Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Hyper Sniper (use the Toe Dragon to pull each ball/puck to you before you shoot), Wide Sweeps or just about anything else.