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I actually saw these and the True in person last night (needed a sharpening) and was wrong, they do include shins (the online retailer I looked at yesterday did not mention the shins) and looked like a nicer set compared to the True for the same money. A bit more attention to detail and from my perspective - superior protection design from lessons learned over the years.

And just kind of talking as part of an ADVERTISEMENT….. It’s not a video reporting piece about how players adopted their curves, it’s Easton marketing material.

In my career I have sized up approximately U8s 4,500 times. More or less. The ratio was approx this - 1,500 out of a box starter kits in Youth sizes 3,000 kids one piece at a time From fitting properly, we were able to get most of those 3,000 kids into properly fitted gear. Some parents were insistent in buying something too big "so they can grow in it" , or they came in in May when I haven't received a pair of youth medium elbow pads in 3 months and we have to go with a large. Of those 1,500 kids who got sold a starter kit, I probably changed sizes over 200 times. Usually because the kid is too fat. But some of the brands have been very awful in scaling of sizes, ie elbow pads too big compared to the shoulder pad size, or shin guards with straps too short, or pants too big, etc. The others I fitted I doubt half of them fit great for every piece, I am positive a lot of mis-sized gear is out there with it. The core issue of those starter kits is in order for them to be financially feasible for the LTP market & retailer to have a "kit", is this is made as cheaply as possible in order to make margins, as it is razor thin at this level of equipment. This gear therefore has faults such as sizing inconsistencies or issues with the product itself being defective. It does accomplish its goal though - it gets more kids into hockey by introducing players at a lower barrier. It serves a valuable purpose that cannot be overlooked. Stating that, I have yet to find a full set of youth kits that are proportionate w/ good quality at that right price. There are better kits than others, however, if you can afford it, my recommendation is to size each piece of equipment individually. A lot of LHS do deals as in "Buy X amount of youth gear get % off" or something similar. It rarely goes on sale but when it does, buy the next size up of what your player has right now if they like it. Don't get greedy, just get the next size up on sale. Youth gear discounted is dirt cheap.

Yes, they're allowed to do skate lessons at our rink at 2 1/2 years old and typically 4 for LTP but they said that my boys will probably be allowed to start at 3 since they're already rink rats.

Majority of high level players (NHL/AHL/D1) tend to prefer softer blades. Softer blade allows for more accurate shooting; the puck stays on the blade longer for loading, which increases accuracy, especially helpful on one-timer as well. It also makes it easier to receive hard passes. Understand though, what works for Player A may not work for Player B. For example, I got a bundle of pro stock sticks from Mackinnon. Some of them have softer blades, others are very stiff. You can sometimes "feel" how stiff the blade is, which will give you some insight as to the blade construction without having to cut the blade apart. Maybe he uses one stick for PP when he knows he will be taking more shots and the other is for general use. Who knows? He also varies his flex quite a bit as well.

I'm no expert, but I see stuff like the P90TM as a combination of many of the attributes of a P92 and a P28, taking aspects from both and creating a "combo" or "hybrid" of the two.

The curve doesn’t pass the puck, the player using it does, so whether a curve is good or bad for passing or any other particular facet of stick skills is entirely dependent on how well it correlates with what the preferences of the one who’s wielding it. I personally like P28 for passing because of the toe-heavy pocket as well as the heel curve and loft combo which makes heel-to-mid-blade saucers very easy. P28’s definitely not for everyone though. While it’s not my favorite passing pattern of all time it’s easily my favorite of what’s readily available these days.