Geared Up: How to buy a hockey stick

Buying a hockey stick is complicated.

There are so many factors to consider, and with the insane prices of top-end sticks, it can be easy to pick something without knowing if it’s the right choice. I will try to break down some of the nuances of hockey sticks to try to make the stick-buying procedure a little more painless.

Height/Flex

These two might be the most important specifications of a hockey stick. The flex of a stick indicates how much pressure it takes to bend the stick. Young players often make the mistake of moving up in flex too soon, and it can have a huge impact on the power and accuracy of your shot.

Dialing in the height can also make a sizable difference in shooting and stick-handling, as well as directly affecting the flex of the stick, as the shorter you cut a stick, the stiffer it will become.

CCM has a helpful flex chart that uses height and weight to determine proper flex, but your optimal stick flex might vary a bit from the chart when you take into account height, style of play and personal preference.

By popular demand, here’s our stick Flex Chart. Questions? #MadeOfHockey pic.twitter.com/JoKVWkDncM

— CCM Hockey (@CCMHockey) September 1, 2015

A winger who mainly takes quick wristers and snap shots will probably use a lower flex than a similar-sized defenseman who mostly utilizes big slap shots and one-timers. A grinding power forward would probably be expected to use a higher flex than a shifty playmaker.

Flex plays a part in everything from shooting and stick-handling to passing and board battles. It’s important to find a flex that you are able to properly load and shoot with, but that won’t be too soft in the board battles or snap on a hard slap shot.

Kickpoint

This can be the difference between liking a stick and hating a stick. The kickpoint of a stick is basically where the stick will primarily bend from when flexed/a shot is taken. Most sticks will have one of three types of kickpoints, and the type of shots you take and the preferred feel are the two main priorities when deciding which kickpoint to use. Bauer has a great explanation of how their stick lines relate to this, but here is an explanation of each:

Mid

Hockey sticks with Mid or High kickpoints, as the name implies, will flex higher up the shaft. This translates into more of the stick flexing, meaning that more energy is stored and released. Mid-kick sticks are generally used by players looking to maximize the energy loaded on the stick, such as defensemen who take slap shots or one-timers more often, or guys with really heavy, powerful shots. Two examples of players like this are Steven Stamkos or Alex Ovechkin, who both use Bauer Supreme sticks, which have mid-kicks.

Stick examples: CCM Tacks, Easton Synergy, Bauer Supreme 1S, Warrior Dynasty

Low

Low-kick sticks generally have steeper tapers, meaning the shaft tapers off smaller as it transitions into the blade. These sticks are designed with stiffer upper halves and softer tapers, so most of the flex is at the bottom of the stick. The result of this is that less of the stick flexes, so it takes less time to load and release energy on the stick, making low-kick sticks ideal for players looking for a quick release. More commonly used by forwards, and often used by players looking to surprise goaltenders with quick snapshots or wristers. Two examples of players who use low-kick sticks are Patrick Kane (Bauer Vapor 1x) and Joe Pavelski (Warrior QRL).

Stick Examples: Easton Stealth CX, Bauer Vapor 1x, CCM Ribcore, Warrior QRL

Custom

The last category of sticks are Custom/Variable kick sticks. These sticks are made so that the kickpoint of the stick is determined by the placement of a player’s lower hand when shooting. Sticks like the CCM RBZ line have this technology so that the energy can be maximized depending on where a player is shooting from. For example, usually the bottom hand would be lower while taking a slapshot than it would for a quick snapshot, so more of the stick will flex, resulting in more energy being transferred. These sticks are also usually perfect for players who prefer more powerful shots over a quicker release; one of the best examples of a player using a variable kick stick is Gabriel Landeskog.

Stick examples: CCM RBZ, STX Surgeon

Curve/Lie

The lie of a stick is the angle of the blade compared to the shaft. As the angle between the blade and the shaft increases, so does the lie. Lie is important because it will determine how much of your blade is touching the rink at all times. A stick with the optimal lie would have as much of the blade surface as possible touching the ice when in your normal hockey stance. For this reason, a player who carries the puck close to their body while skating should have a higher lie (and less angle) than a player who carries the puck farther away from their body.

There are a ton of different kinds of curves, but they can be grouped into three types based upon where the main part of the curve is: heel, mid, or toe. The curve of your stick is something that is almost entirely preference: What kind of shots you like to take, your shooting style, and even puck-handling style and overall preference all come into play.

The main focus for curves is how you shoot, and where you shoot from. Players that shoot off the toe of their stick, or with a curl and drag motion, might prefer a toe curve, while players who roll their shots from heel to toe or shoot with a more open blade might like a flatter heel curve.

Stick-handling gurus like Pavel Datsyuk and Patrick Kane tend to use longer blades, and big shooters like Ovechkin and Stamkos often have bigger, deeper curves. However, for every type of player you can find someone who prefers something different, so the best way to find a curve that you like is to experiment with different curves and see what you are most comfortable with.