Ice Hockey Sticks – How To Choose The Right Stick For You

There are lots of factors that go into a hockey stick, and you probably won’t select the best one on your first try, but the following guidelines will help narrow down the options and get your search for the right hockey stick off to a smoother start.

There are four major factors to consider when selecting a stick: Type, Flex, Lie and Blade Pattern

Type:  This determined by the material of the stick.  There are three common types, and they are: wood, two-piece and one-piece composite.

• Wood sticks are made of a wood shaft and a wood or fiberglass blade.  They are the cheaper and more durable option of the three.  They also give the best feel for stick handling.
• Two-piece sticks are a separate blade and shaft that are fit together.  Two-piece sticks will enable you to try a range of blade pattern and material combinations just by switching out the blade.
• One-piece composite sticks are the strongest and lightest of the three options.  They are composed of composite materials including graphite, carbon fiber and Kevlar.  One-piece composites are designed to have a perfectly position kick point on the shaft, so when combined with the proper technique, power, speed and accuracy can be added to your shot.

Flex:  This is the degree of force that’s needed to bend a stick.  Flex rating has a general rule of thumb to help you determine your number when first starting out.

• Flex rating should be one half your total body weight, in other words: Player’s Weight/2 = Starting Flex Rating.

Lie:  This is the angle of the blade in relation to the shaft.  Lie is identified by a number between 3 and 7.  The lower the lie, the lower the shaft when the blade is on the ice.  It’s very important that you’re using a stick with the correct lie.  An incorrect lie means a suffering shot!

• One way to determine if your stick at the correct lie for you is to tape the entire length of your blade and play for a few games or practice sessions, then look at the tape to see where it is most worn
• Even wear along the entire length of the blade, means you are using the correct lie.
• Wear that’s concentrated at the toe of the blade mean you should increase your lie.
• Wear that’s concentrated at the heel of the blade means you should decrease your lie.

Blade Pattern:  This is the position of the curve on a blade, which has significant affect on your shot.  Selecting the one you prefer will probably require the most experimentation.  There is also the consideration of curve depth, which is the degree of the blade’s curve.  While blade patterns each have a general effect, curve depth is more a matter of personal preference.

• The three primary types of blade pattern are: heal curve, mid curve and tow curve.
• Heel Curve:  This blade pattern is curved toward the heel and places most of the blade on the ice, leaving a greater area for snapshots, one-timers and deflections.
• Mid Curve:  This blade pattern is curved toward the center of the blade and provides even ground for new players.  It’s versatile enough to handle anything from slapshots to stick handling and wrist shots.  Experienced players looking for something more specialized, who gain much advantage or disadvantage from the jack-of-all-trades blade pattern.
• Toe Curve:  This blade pattern is curved toward the toe of the blade, and is great for stick handling and quick wrist shots.

Understanding how all these factors affect your handling and shooting can make the process of selecting an ice hockey stick a little less daunting.  There are no universal measuring guidelines across manufactures, so the only real way to select a new stick is by feel rather than specs.  Remember, it’s rare that a player select the best stick for him or her on the first try, so be patient and take your time to shop around and find the best ice hockey stick for your game.