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nunavut

Need help on selecting gear for 10 year old.

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Hi all, not a big poster but I am an avid reader. I need a little help outfitting my kid for his camps which are starting in two weeks. The issue I have is I live in the Arctic and I only have about an hour to shop at Pro Hockey Life in Ottawa between flight changes and the list of gear I need is rather large.

My kid is 10 years old and just getting ready for his first peewee season, the issue we have run in to is that we bought all new gear last year in September and it was all Bauer one.8 protective gear with Nexus 1000 pants and new Nexus Havoc skates in January which now hurt as his toes are curling against the toe cap.

The main issue is he was 4ft8in 92lbs at the end of last year’s camps in September, and now he is 5ft4 110lbs going into this year’s camps so gear is getting ridiculous. He plays Defense and just recently broke his Sherwood Ek15 in the middle taking a slap shot, so I think I am stuck now with trying to figure out if we should go to intermediate twigs

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Looking for some suggestions on the gear so I can focus on those lines with the limited time I have, the skates scare me the most and those are going to take a while to figure out as he 25.7cm foot length with 10.6 wide, which means that he needs high volume skates.

Is the Supreme line of gear the best for a defender at this age group or should I look at any of the other lines. In regards to skate, I think the Nexus 8000 or Nexus 6000 are the only skates in stock, it makes baby Jesus cry thinking about getting 4-5 months out of a pair of skates, but his growth rate may slow some, and I don't know of any other skates that are for wide feet.

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Wondering if anyone had helpful ideas on type of gear and a suggestion on an intermediate stick that would be in the 55 flex range( if they exist) that I wouldn’t have to cut down too much. He plays with the stick between collarbone and top of pads.

Sorry for the book.

Thanks

Nunavut

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I'd take a look at the RBZ skate line too. If skates are the biggest issue then you should probably take a good portion of time with the skate fitters there. Tell them your concerns about high volume and such. I hear good things about Nexus and the Warrior AX lines from these forums in terms of good protection.

I think Warrior is the only one that offers Int 55 flex sticks, the rest will be 60-67

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Your kid is 10 (going on 11 if he's going to be a PeeWee, I'm assuming first year PW with a late 2003 birthdate) and is 5ft 4in and 110 lbs? You got a big kid on your hands there.

Spend a majority of time on skates so you get the right skate with the right fit. Skates are the one piece of equipment you should buy in person so you can try them on and be very discriminating in your selection. Protective padding you can order and have shipped if you need to. Just try on what he currently has and make an educated guess on the upsizing given the charts available online. If you have time to try on pads and buy there then do it but I would not sacrifice any time used on selecting skates trying on protective padding. As far as what pads to buy, find a price point and look at all the manufacturers offering at that point. The most expensive isn't really necessary for his age level. I know kid's I coach that use the cheapest shin guards they can find, for example, and it doesn't affect their play or protection at all. Better than whatever we used to use when I played and last I checked the pucks are still black and just as hard.

For sticks I wouldn't be afraid to stay with a junior stick in a 50 flex (I know you can get that in an Easton). You know you're going to have to cut down an intermediate which will increase the flex. Better to be a little whippy at his age than an unbendable twig.

Oh, and of course you will do all your background work, researching selecting exactly the make, model, and size you want and when you get to the store they won't have what you want in stock. Happens to me all the time.

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Thanks for the advice on the gear, good idea to focus on the skates. SC your correct in that he has a late birthday and going into first year peewee, his growth has been off the charts, to the point we have gotten bone density x-rays etc to ensure there is nothing fishy going on. Adolescent and puberty started at 9 for him, so he is a little ahead of the curve in size and a little mustache at 10 is bizarro, but I digress.

He seems to be stuck right in the no mans land for size as he has all the largest in the junior gear, so I figure senior mens small is the only option for padding, so that will be a little easier. I think I will focus mainly on the skates as we can probably mix and match some cheaper gear if needed to get him though the couple weeks. Just hope they have something in the mid range vs top end skates in his size.

Thanks again.

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Regarding sticks, Warrior makes intermediate 55 flexes, which they specify at 55". Usually you have some room to cut down the stick where it doesn't affect the flex. My son is a 2002, and is 5'5" and 135lbs. We made the leap to intemediate sticks last year. I just made sure the sticks I purchased were at the max, a 60 flex and had a free cut type zone at the top. It was my hope after cutting his sticks down that they did not go beyond a 65 flex.

What I found last year was that it was difficult (besides Warrior) to find 60 flex models other than the top of the line sticks. So we went with CCM RBZ 80 stick or top line closeouts from previous years. More manufactrures seem to be addressing this situation now, which is good!

Good luck on the skates! We went from CCM u+12's, now to Tacks 5052's in a SR 8.5. He was wearing a 6.5 and was cramming his feet in wthout knowing any better, and obvsiously, I didn't not catch on as his shoe size kept getting larger! Also, like you, we seem to be caught in no man's land with protective gear. Pay attention to the size guidelines as a starting point between the manufactures to get a idea of which sizes you need to check out.

Good luck!

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Dang CB1, your kid is a horse too. My boy is a 2002 and is 5ft 1/4in and 100 lbs, and he is one of the bigger kids on his team and in his class. Of course he is wearing about a size 9 shoe, so I am expecting a growth spurt shortly. His dad (me) and uncles range from 6-2 to 6-5, so I am expecting some size to this kid.

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I coached against an 02 last year who I've fitted since they started - 6'0 190. Kid rocketed above 5'6 when he was 10, it was insane.

Anyways if you haven't made your layover yet, and assuming the kid is with you, have him start on skates immediately. Bring gear over to him while he's doing the skate thing. If he like the supreme One.8 stuff I'd keep him in that, just bigger sizes.

I've had to fit kids in a really short time frame head to toe and that's how we have to do it - fit skates and work on other stuff at same time, and bring stuff over to him when baking skates. If you have a good idea on what skates you're wanting and what sizes are needed, you could be in and out in 35-40 minutes with bake & fitting gear when trying on skates.

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I coached against an 02 last year who I've fitted since they started - 6'0 190. Kid rocketed above 5'6 when he was 10, it was insane.

OMG, he is a beast! : ) I can imagine a lot of Bantam coaches are watching and waiting for him a year from now, when he can really use the body!

It's funny at the pee wee age, as you really see kids of ALL sizes. They are turning into young men, but in the case above, he just went straight to "man"!

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Thanks for all the advice, it was very helpful. We were able to get the most important thing which was the skates, the fitter was a little slow but got them fitted and baked, no time for a sharpen but that's not an issue. Glad we tried things on as he went from a size 5.5 junior to a 7.5 nexus ee, kid loves the new nexus gear.

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