The major manufactures of Composite Ice Hockey Sticks
CCM
Easton
Mission
Montreal
Nike Bauer
Reebok
Sher-wood
TPS - Louisville
Tour
Warrior
The major manufactures of Wood Ice Hockey Sticks
CCM
Easton
Graf
Koho
Nike Bauer
Reebok
Sher-wood
TPS - Louisville
The main things to look at when buying an ice hockey stick are:
Right handed versus Left handed
If you place your left hand at the top of the stick then you shoot right handed and need a right handed stick. If you use your left hand at the top, then you want a right handed stick. Flat bladed sticks can be used right handed or left handed. Here is a photo of a right handed stick.
The Length of the Stick:
The standard guide line is that when the player is in her skates, the top of the stick should be about at her chin when the stick is held parallel with her body and the toe of the stick is resting on the ice. You can approximate this length while standing without skates and marking the stick at the player’s nose. Like almost all aspects of a hockey stick, the player’s preferences take priority and the guidelines are only there to get you started.
Hockey sticks come in just a few standard lengths, so plan on getting one longer than your ideal length and then cutting it to the length you prefer.
The Curve of the blade:
The blade of an ice hockey stick has a few key features that need to be taken into account when selecting a stick.
• Where the main part of the curve is (heel, middle, toe)
• How deep the curve is (from 3/8” to ¾”)
• Face Angle (open, slightly open, neutral, closed)
• Toe shape: Round or Square
• Blade length
The Flex of the Stick:
The flex of a stick is a number that represents the stiffness of a hockey stick. The lower the flex, the easier it is to load up (bend) the stick when you take a shot. The recoil from the bend is what gives you the extra velocity when you shot. If you end up with a flex that is to stiff for you then you won’t be able to bend the shaft when you shoot and you will loose velocity. When you are first starting out, go with the standard flex for your stick model. The flex rating below are using the Bauer flex ratings.
• Youth = 42 flex
• Junior = 52 flex
• Intermediate = 67 flex
• Senior = 85 flex
With a basic flex stick master your shooting technique and then experiment with your teammate’s sticks to see if something else works better for you.
The Lie of the Stick:
The lie of the hockey stick represents the angle made between the shaft and the blade of the stick. The objective is for players to have the blade flat on the ice when they are in their normal skating posture. Typical lies for non-custom sticks run from 4 to 7.
Here are some additional hockey stick resources:
A good guide to Choosing Your Very First Hockey Stick.
USA Hockey Magazine's general stick Buying Tips.
The Hockey Stick Expert site for more info on Ice Hockey Sticks. At this site you can learn about:
• In depth guide to hockey stick length
• More info on hockey blades
• Hockey stick flex
• And more
