youth hockey sticks

[Speedz98 15]

I would think for a young kid who's starting out, you would want them to use wood sticks. Develop a feel for the puck and gain wrist strength.

Maybe wait until a kid is 13 years old and has been practicing for years so that they have good enough technique to properly use a composite and have gained strength from using a heavier wood stick.

Then the benefits are more noticeable/effective?

[Chadd 916]

I would think for a young kid who's starting out, you would want them to use wood sticks. Develop a feel for the puck and gain wrist strength.

Maybe wait until a kid is 13 years old and has been practicing for years so that they have good enough technique to properly use a composite and have gained strength from using a heavier wood stick.

Then the benefits are more noticeable/effective?

Any "benefit" they get from using a heavier stick is more than outweighed by the bad habits and poor technique they pick up using a stick that doesn't flex properly for their size/strength. The only real argument is about feel and if they're going to switch to composite anyway, they might as well make the transition early and they'll never know what they're missing.

[Speedz98 15]

So light sticks for young players is something you want so that they are able to practice proper shooting motion?

[HockeySavants 5]

I grew up on wood sticks and shoot just fine.

But then again that is a worthless debate, whatever floats your boat.

I'd be hypocritical if I had a kid playing and made him/her use wood sticks when I'd have him/her using a nice composite, but I would prefer he/she learn how not to shoot and break a 15 dollar stick vs $60-$120.

[SolarWind 23]

Any "benefit" they get from using a heavier stick is more than outweighed by the bad habits and poor technique they pick up using a stick that doesn't flex properly for their size/strength. The only real argument is about feel and if they're going to switch to composite anyway, they might as well make the transition early and they'll never know what they're missing.

completely agree!

in youth sizes the weight difference isn't actually that drastic, plus the proper shooting motion has very little to do with how heavy your stick is. I personally don't see any relevancy here, the proper motion needs to be taught regardless, and wood doesn’t make it easier.

re the feel - the new composite sticks are actually getting a lot better in this regard, plus like Chadd said earlier they start the easier is the adjustment.

besides kids are getting bigger & stronger every year, plus they start playing much earlier. By the time they're 9 nowadays many of them have 4-5 years of hockey behind them, and arguably are just as good if not better then 12-13 years old kids 10 years ago.

that's why the age groups for the divisions change fairly frequently - now Novice ends at 8, and not at 9-10 as 5 years ago.

[jcp2 2]

sounds like what alot of parents are looking for their little guys and gals. What's the model?

I "think" it's a CCM V130 youth stick. I got them on closeout a year and a half ago, so they are probably hard to find. I haven't found a similar stick since then, but I haven't been looking very hard.

EDIT: Reebok and CCM seem to have 35 flex youth sticks that just might be repaints of what we're using. I'd have to see one for myself, as the shaft diameter of what we have was really, really skinny, even more so than the youth sticks from Easton, Bauer, and Warrior at that time.

[goblue9280 33]

EDIT: Reebok and CCM seem to have 35 flex youth sticks that just might be repaints of what we're using. I'd have to see one for myself, as the shaft diameter of what we have was really, really skinny, even more so than the youth sticks from Easton, Bauer, and Warrior at that time.

Yeah, there is a kid on my sons mite team that used a Crosby branded reebok composite youth stick that was noticeably skinnier in diameter to any youth stick I have seen before. I know they got it when they went back to Canada on vacation... I've never seen it on any of the US retailers websites. It looked similar to this one, but a composite instead of wood: http://www.purehockey.com/ecom/product_images/63/15962/7010/#LargeImage

[jcp2 2]

Just checked the Perani's near me. The Sherwood youth sticks look identical to what my son has, right down to the tacky grippy stuff, except for the paint job.

[Fire Walker 22]

Found a great deal for my son today at Sportchek. A z-bubble junior shaft and blade for $35. Feels much nicer than all the low end composites they have.

[goblue9280 33]

Youth size Easton EQ50 bought 6 weeks ago... snapped about 3/4's of the way down on a wrist shot by an average sized 7 year old. Thinking about switching him back to wood or moving up to a junior-sized composite rather than buying another $50-60 youth composite.

[dc00 0]

My 8 year old broke two x60 and an S19 youth sticks within 2 months last year. Switched to Brooklynite Marksman and could not be happier. He's still using the same stick nearly a year later.

http://www.brooklynitehockey.com/marksman.php

Youth size Easton EQ50 bought 6 weeks ago... snapped about 3/4's of the way down on a wrist shot by an average sized 7 year old. Thinking about switching him back to wood or moving up to a junior-sized composite rather than buying another $50-60 youth composite.

[goblue9280 33]

My 8 year old broke two x60 and an S19 youth sticks within 2 months last year.

Yep, the easton was a replacement for an x60 that lasted 4 months before the blade snapped near the heel. I'm thinking I may need to just jump up to a junior size for him as I'm starting to question the durability of the youth sizes.

[Cams 7]

Does any know if they make an end plug for X60's junior size? Seems a wood one will not fit, so composite might?

[AIREAYE 248]

Have you tried shaving down the wood plug?