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Ok so I made a phone call and this is what was explained to me prior to me getting my scanner because I had some questions. I just wanted to make sure it was ok to post. Hi Jeff, there are some misconceptions that have been posted around the net, maybe I can clear some up... This is a brand new scanner and software system. Scott Van Horne has previously used 3-D scanning to build speed skates, but that has proved not to work well in the past for hockey skates. With speed skates, comfort and protection are not paramount as in hockey, so 3-D scanning was providing a model to build a “milled last” for speed skates. Hockey also has the challenge of building a canted boot that will accept a holder – again, not something that the previous scanner and software would allow VH to solve for automatically. Also, this speed skate process can be upwards of $2,000 per pair – something that is not currently palatable in the hockey industry. Thus, VH designed a series of algorithms based upon measurement sets and 2-D tracings for hockey. Fast forward to 2016, and the opportunity to source a lightweight, mobile, and iPad compatible scanner became a reality. This got VH excited, and for the past year, they have been working on specifications with the software scanning provider to develop a custom software application. This software takes allot of the calculations and foot mapping that were previously done manually, and automates them. This will allow VH to continue to produce custom skates at the same rate – even though demand has increased. Essentially, once this process is refined through the pilot and testing phase, VH fit centers will have use of the scanner to send in orders – and those orders will be more easily handled at the factory. The current method of tracings, measurements and photos is still how they are building custom skates. Eventually, you will see these scanners in the hands of all dealers as a lightweight and mobile option, that will also cement consistency across all fittings. For a small company out of Winnipeg, I think they should be applauded for investing in solutions to try to continually get better and move the industry forward.

Currently at the rink for the public skate to test out the new skates. There's absolutely no one here so they let me put on all my gear and skate around a bit and mess around in the crease. I really like the skates although the break in is pretty bad like reviews said it was. I'll have 2 different skates in them today so they should be good by the end of next week!

Drop-in Report: Went to my favourite drop-in session and tried my new Wilcox blocker. First, a little info on my blocker and Dave Wilcox: Dave Wilcox was the designer and builder of some of the greatest goal gear in the last 12 of 15 years, having designed and built TPS pro stuff from 2001-13 and Sher-Wood from '11-13. None the less, he built me one HELL of a blocker, and it is only going to get better with use. I have player glove fingers, which was a HUGE improvement over the wallowy, one-size fits a few palms I was having trouble with in my Vaughn blocker. My hands are too big for intermediate, but too small for some of the other palms. I will put it this way- a blocker is NOT just a blocker, as evidenced by the fact that I have been trying different ones. This one is the baby bear blocker- just right! Now, to drop-in: My warm up was pretty lacklustre- I let in EVERYTHING. I thought it was going to be one of those days. It wasn't. Did I have a shut out? No. Did I let in a few softies? Yes. Do I feel better about my game? Yes. Here is where I feel better about my choice in head gear: I got whacked in the head by a high stick in a scrum. Just a bit of noise, that's all. I got my revenge, as the offender skated in too close through my crease. I upended him with a stick on his skates. Of course he skated through my crease again and ended up with my stick in his gut. He stopped cutting into my crease after that. My poke check is getting better, as well. My aggressive play lit a fire under everybody's bum, as fack me the game got fiery! Every time I let in a goal, my team would skate it back and would go either top shelf or back door. The opposing team would start taking huge risks in the neutral zone and my team would make them pay! They were getting frustrated that the formerly easy goalie was getting harder to penetrate. Playing the puck is something I am still not comfortable with. Break aways are getting better, but I am far from confident on them. Back to the blocker- this thing has some curve to it, and it will easily deflect a puck into the next zip code! I am aware of shots on the back of my hand, but no stingers, thus far. I had my concerns with a lack of "air pillows" (really, just soft foam) on the side board and the back of the hand, but I was pleasantly surprised with no stingers. I guess Dave knows what he's doing. My blocker pix are on my instagram @bunnydevildude

I was going to give the same advice as ted above. You need to stay the course and push through. Identify weaknesses and work to improve them. Now's the time for that. When you're playing bad, things can't really get worse. So if you start to adjust things now, you won't really suck any more than you already do (not insulting you). When you're playing well, you (not you specifically) want to stay in the groove and are hesitant to change. But now you have the opportunity to work on something without worrying about degrading your play. Go back and watch video of your games when you were playing well, and now that you're not. Identify things you may be doing differently between then and now. From my limited viewing of your videos, your angles seem to be off. You're getting beat on clean shots you weren't before. Go back to basics - focus on proper angles, proper depth, proper stance (I find when I play poorly it's because I get lazy and bend at the waist instead of the legs and don't gett deep enough.) And then work on things like movements and recoveries. When I feel like I'm not tracking the puck well, I bring out the white pucks for warmups. A black puck looks like an airplane beacon after tracking a white one. And one other thing, you talk about how you don't go down or do much during warmups. That has to change. If you're not playing well, you need to take every opportunity to refocus and build confidence. Warmups are a great time do do what you need to do, particularly getting square and tracking. You've made tremendous improvements. Don't get down on yourself. You've hit a plateau, that's all. It happens to everyone.

Keep working on whatever skills you are working on! When I bought all of my gear the goalie expert in-store gave me some advice that may help you. He told me that I would start off strong and have some really good games. As I focus on working on certain skills, goals would start pouring in and I would wonder what the heck is going on. This happens to every goalie no matter the age or level they are playing. He said to stick with it and everything will start to even out once you start to get all of the skills down. We start off so good because we stay within a comfort bubble and don't try other skills. When we start to move around and learn to anticipate it leads to mistakes but through practice we fix those mistakes; you just have to get through that learning curve first!

I've been on them for 2-3 months now. I don't fit in Vapor but I did use JetSpeeds in the past. So here's my experience compared to JetSpeed in a nutshell: much more responsive, even more anatomical, lower cut boot and a more aggressive forward pitch.

As I recall, there is also very little rocker on the Shanahan compared to the PM9.

They're very different: _09 pattern curve: heel lie: 5 toe: round length: average/short height: roughly consistent from heel to toe _10 pattern curve: mid-toe lie: 6 toe: square length: long height: shorter at the heel and taller at the toe

+10 to this. It's much the same as learning any complex set of skills - as you learn new things, you focus on those, and get lost on skills you already had as you try and incorporate the new ones. You start off okay, falter as you try and incorporate new skills, incorporate those, do okay, falter again, etc. Eventually the scaffolding all comes together. (I shouldn't say that, as it hasn't come together for me yet, so I don't know. ;) ) Sometimes it helps, also, to take a short break, to let your body and brain process. Then you come back refreshed and not thinking so hard.

You've got to market that curve as a pro Kane / Giroux!

how long as she signed the Rawlings endorsement deal for? good to see she didn't go with Easton :D

I agree with bunnyman. Some really, really bad bounces were also happening against you. The one that starts the video off really catches my eye. You have 3 players on your team lazily gliding back. You take care of the first shot but between the boards that give a huge rebound right back up to the slot and the lazy back checking it would be a hard shot for almost anyone to save. Your 3 teammates actually slide to your left and farther back on the ice; no matter where the puck was rebounded to off of the boards it would have went straight to one of the opponents. Plus, half the guys on the other team are placing the puck perfectly right underneath the crossbar. On the second goal it probably would have helped if your defense would have boxed out the crease for you. I know it's pickup so defense isn't a huge emphasis for the skaters but these are all things to look at. Putting too much blame on others isn't always a good thing but in this case it might be. I would hope that in actual games your defense isn't playing like that in front of you so a few extra goals shouldn't be a huge surprise. Breakaways especially, we aren't perfect people and I for sure can only stop so many. The whole point of the defensemen is to help break the puck out of the zone and to DEFEND. I saw a whole lot of leading rushes or joining the rush and no help being given to you.

I am by no means doubting you. I thought I heard a June release before. I am just surprised that I have not heard much about these skates or a review or anything

I've personally never used a pro Kovalev as it's LH, but I've used many versions of David Perron's pro curve, which is supposed to have the exact same blade length, rocker and curve in some cases. The lie (on the Perron's at least) is pretty hard to nail down as with the rocker is almost has 3 lies essentially (heel, mid and toe) which I found amazing personally. The rounded heel works really well if the puck is further away from the body and the toe when it's in close. Obviously you still need the middle section of the rocker to be in the right place, which was around a 5 (on the Easton scale) on the Perron's. @Stephen7 If Base needs a sample, let me know

Bought some at IW and have used them 4 times now. What a difference they make. I have nexus skates which were the only ones that passed the pencil test for me. However,the room I had in the tops of the toes was way too much. With the shim in place all that space is gone now. I have noticed one strange thing. Where I used to have lower back pain after a skate,I no longer have had any after using the power feet.Just hard to explain but not complaining.

I think he needs a new pair of socks, lol.