Looking for opinions....

[BobMcRobertson 0]

Gents,

My daughter plays mites and is the only kid on the team with a wood stick. Most of the kids have a cut down adult ops or shaft. The question I have is, does it make much of a difference at that level? Will ops or shaft add anyhitng other than maybe trim a few ounces of weight? Thanks.........DR

[GoHabsGo24 1]

Although i don't know from experience, Im sure it would help. Maybe get her to try out a team mate's for a practice session and see if she notices the difference. I believe they do make junior one pieces sticks also, so you wouldn't need to cut down an adult stick.

[cougarscaptain87 12]

DO NOT cut down an adult stick for your daughter. if you dont want to drop any money on a composite stick for her, she will be just fine. if you do want to buy her a composite take her to your lhs and have her fitted, pending on her size she may be better suited for a youth, or a junior stick. the adult sticks are much too large in circumfrance for little hands to get a good hold of, and she will also make a bad habbit of flicking her wrists to get the puck up instead of learning the proper techniques of stick flex and all that good stuff.

[Stampede#11 0]

I'm a big beliver in wood sticks and flat vlades for youngsters ... you should't be allowed a OPS until you are 21!!! ... OK so maybe not but I think a wood stick would suffice for someone at 8 years old and enable proper puck feel and technique.

Save your cash and go to Disney land!!!

[badsk8ter 0]

If you daughter's wood stick is one that's made for a child her size, I think she's better off than her teammates who have the cut-down adult shafts/ops. The reason? The wood stick is made for a child her size and not near as stiff. It'll allow her to use the correct form when shooting and let her gain muscle memory when she takes shots correctly. The other kids, with the stiffer shafts/ops won't get any flex at all out of their sticks. Kind of like a 10 year old using an adult golf club as opposed to using one that's their size. It won't feel near as awkward and their form will be better.

[Bmplam 1]

My 8 year old daughter has used a wood jr stick for the last year and a half and since she has worked so hard, I bought her a jr One 90 OPS. The new stick really has not made a difference in her puck handling or shooting, but the new stick was never intended to be a tool to improve her skills, it is a reward for her hard work and great attitude on the ice.

[strosedefence34 179]

I used wood sticks till I was 12 then i got an Easton Ultra-light used it for half a season went back to wood sticks till I was 19. Problems with adult ops if you cut them down to fit your daughter the flex will be way to stiff for her and like somone said she wont learn the proper way to shoot. Not only that they are expensive. hell i have a job and i still wont by top of the line sticks. I don't spend more then $100 on a stick give or take. The wand doesn't make the wizard. So take the money your going to save and like Stampede#11 go to disney land because your daughter will remember that rather then when she was in mite she didn't have a ops.

[Hockeydog 8]

I don't think a wooden stick hurts even the vast majority of us beer leaguers.

As long as her wooden stick is the correct size ( length and thickness) she should be fine. Is she feeling stick envy because she is the only one without a composite?

[BobMcRobertson 0]

Thanks for the replies guys. I wasn't far off in what I figured most of you would say. No, she doesn't worry about what the other kid is using, except for the girl on the U18 team with pink gloves. Pink glove envy yes, stick envy no!. I figured that a cut down adult ops or shaft would have no fex whatsoever, so I can't figure out why parents sed thier kids out there with them. Maybe they figure the huge ass blade in comparison to the small kid wil help them. Who knows, again, thanks for the replies.

[Jordan 13]

Okay, first let me declare that I am the softest touch there is when it comes to my kids. Now that we have that out of the way I will tell you why I bought my my 7 year old son a one piece stick.

I have found that even the youth sticks in wood are pretty stiff, particularly when cut down to size.I also find that they are fairly heavy for the kids to handle with one hand when properly skating straight forward in a foot race.

So I bought him a youth, Sherwood, 30 flex. Even when cut down, he can flex it well. He handles the stick much better when skating, as it is pretty much weightless. In his case, it definitley helped him out with his wrist shot, and he hasn't had any problems at all with stickhandling or receiving passes with it.

I also figure that for most of his life he will be using a composite stick, and that the wood stick will soon enough go the way of the do-do bird, so he may as well get used to it.

He has used it for about 3 months of hockey and it is in good shape, so it appears to be fairly durable for kids this size.

[topshelf11 0]

My nephew is 17 and the only kid on his varsity team that uses a wood stick. He is a non-conformist, though. Doesn't seem to hurt his game at all.

Last year, the coach offered to pay for a wood stick for any kid who would use it instead of a composite. He got no takers.

[Bmplam 1]

Thanks for the replies guys. I wasn't far off in what I figured most of you would say. No, she doesn't worry about what the other kid is using, except for the girl on the U18 team with pink gloves. Pink glove envy yes, stick envy no!. I figured that a cut down adult ops or shaft would have no fex whatsoever, so I can't figure out why parents sed thier kids out there with them. Maybe they figure the huge ass blade in comparison to the small kid wil help them. Who knows, again, thanks for the replies.

That must be universal among the girls ... Pink gloves are the ONLY piece of equipment my daughter has ever asked me for (and yes, she wears pink eastons). She too doesn't care what others are wearing on their feet or what stick, helmet etc others have. She goes hard on the ice, plays on the boys travel team and when we leave the rink, hockeys over and its all about webkinz and girl stuff.

[jere26 5]

There is nothing wrong with playing with a wood stick if it is sized correctly, not just for length but also shaft dimensions and blade size. As has already been stated, never cut down a SR stick for a child. In fact, the rule of thumb for cutting a stick is to first begin with the shortest length that is longer than the length needed when cut. In other words, when shortening a stick (wood or one piece) begin with the size for which you have to cut the least amount of length off.

Also, if you haven't noticed, the major manufacturers make a YOUTH sized stick in addition to their JUNIOR and SENIOR sized offerings. These youth sized sticks are designed with the flex and shaft dimensions suitable for the smallest players, i.e., mites. So it's not always true to say that a OPS won't have enough flex for a small child.

Finally, if you have to go OPS, you should really look for a hand-me-down from a kid that has outgrown his stick length. These sticks rarely break at the mite and even squirt levels and have a lot of life in them (unless they've been used outside on asphalt). Just ask taller teammates or anyone with a kid a year or two older than yours if they have any sticks they have outgrown. You can get them on the cheap or even free if they are a good friend. A used stick may not be as pretty, but it will still play "good as new" in most cases.

[Chadd 916]

Thanks for the replies guys. I wasn't far off in what I figured most of you would say. No, she doesn't worry about what the other kid is using, except for the girl on the U18 team with pink gloves. Pink glove envy yes, stick envy no!. I figured that a cut down adult ops or shaft would have no fex whatsoever, so I can't figure out why parents sed thier kids out there with them. Maybe they figure the huge ass blade in comparison to the small kid wil help them. Who knows, again, thanks for the replies.

More manufacturers are making youth flex composite sticks and shafts. I strongly suggest you get one of those. They generally have more whip than a junior stick and by simply adding a plug, that stick can lost a lot quite a while.

[Bmplam 1]

There is nothing wrong with playing with a wood stick if it is sized correctly, not just for length but also shaft dimensions and blade size. As has already been stated, never cut down a SR stick for a child. In fact, the rule of thumb for cutting a stick is to first begin with the shortest length that is longer than the length needed when cut. In other words, when shortening a stick (wood or one piece) begin with the size for which you have to cut the least amount of length off.

Also, if you haven't noticed, the major manufacturers make a YOUTH sized stick in addition to their JUNIOR and SENIOR sized offerings. These youth sized sticks are designed with the flex and shaft dimensions suitable for the smallest players, i.e., mites. So it's not always true to say that a OPS won't have enough flex for a small child.

Finally, if you have to go OPS, you should really look for a hand-me-down from a kid that has outgrown his stick length. These sticks rarely break at the mite and even squirt levels and have a lot of life in them (unless they've been used outside on asphalt). Just ask taller teammates or anyone with a kid a year or two older than yours if they have any sticks they have outgrown. You can get them on the cheap or even free if they are a good friend. A used stick may not be as pretty, but it will still play "good as new" in most cases.

You are absolutely right. The stick that I bought is a 42 flex youth. I added jr to my post to indicate that it wasn't an adult cut down OPS, but I should be more specific here. Also, I only had to take a very little off the stick to get the proper length whereas I would have to take a large amount off the junior, thus increasing the stiffness considerably.

[shifter 0]

..No need for a composite stick for a youth. I would suggest a wood stick until she learns the technique quite well. Also if she can flex a composite stick, if not then I would just stay with wood.

[hunterphfr 12]

I have a 7 year old son who is an 800 lb gorilla, he is big for his size. As was stated several times (and like I tell my wife it's not length) circumference is essential. Little hands need little sticks. Picture yourself trying to play hockey with a shaft that was 3X the size of the one you use now. Wether you go OPS or wood be sure to do yourself a favor and get a little person stick. Just bought a new Easton wood and it cost less than $15.

[Viking 1]

Yeah, just make sure it's a youth/junior stick, regardless of what it's made of. Seems like you're just kind of burning money if you buy an OPS for an 8 year old (to be fair, much in the same way most of us are when we buy them for ourselves). I don't see where there'd be any real benefit to it, but I guess if you've got the money to burn, go ahead; but if she ends up in the NHL, I wouldn't attribute that to the stick.

[hapamatt122 0]

I grew up using cooper and canadien wood sticks, and then when I was 12 I got my first shiny new easton aluminum stick.. and hated it.. was way too stiff for me.. of course these days, the comp sticks are nice and flexy, but i figure if your daughter has no trouble w/ the wood, then stick with it. I don't think a wood stick has ever hindered anyone's game too much.

[tbintexas 0]

I've had my son in composite shaft and blades for over 2 years now, and he's 10 (almost 11). Easton typhoon junior - 45 flex. Nice and flexy for him - he has probably the best shot on his team. Many of his teamates have sticks way too stiff for them.

I have been able to keep him in the same shafts by starting him out with no end-plug, and just adding a different one when he grows. If this was a wood stick, we'd have to buy a new one each time we needed a stick 1" or more longer. $20 for the shaft and $15 for an inno blade (both good deals) and we've actually saved money over the years!

[shifter 0]

that would also be a great way to start. A shaft/blade combo is actually quite nice for starters that wants a composite.

[BobMcRobertson 0]

I think we'll stick to the wood sticks for now. I was actually looking at a Easton youth shaft yesterday. The thing seemed as big around as a adult shaft. There are some god wood sticks out there, so I am gonna hold off on the ops. Thanks for the feedack!

[sniper44 0]

I don't know if a seven year old could get the benefits of a ops, apparenly they can. Even with junior sticks, i never see kids get any flex on wrist shots or a slap shots for that matter.

[Jordan 13]

I was actually looking at a Easton youth shaft yesterday. The thing seemed as big around as a adult shaft.

Obviously, I can't comment about what you were looking at but, my best guess is that it was a junior shaft, not a youth one.

On the youth ops that I have looked at for my son (by Easton, RBK, Sherwood etc.) the youth shaft is about as thick as a broom handle if it had square edges...much smaller than a junior model.

[Keeno_11 0]

definetly buy a youth stick, i got a one90 youth my friends younger brother only 70 canadian, which i thought was good as i am from scotland and would pay double that for 1. i think at that age its the lie and length of blade which is most important. o and all those kids using cut down sr's will have really bad stickhandling, shooting, passing etc