New skates for defensemen ?

[itslunchtime 17]

A little history

6'4 - 195lbs - size 11 medium width street shoes

I started playing lots of stick and puck / pick up at local rinks last winter and purchased a pair of older Bauer Vapors 5's size 10 that seemed to fit ok... but i noticed that there is a good amount of room and my heel slips now and would hurt the side of my foot after a full session.

started my first league recently and thought i should invest in some nicer skates

I purchased a pair of Graf g5's that felt fantastic in the LHS but once on the ice my heel started to slip some and then i REALLY noticed the forward pitch to the cobra holder - i could not stand the pitch and it made me feel very unstable on my feet. but i did feel the energy in my strides on the ice

My hope is to move back to defense this season.

I have tried on some Size 8.5 CCM u10's / Reebok 8k and they felt pretty good on my foot - i hear the e-pro holders have some forward pitch?? but not as much as the Graf holders?? Should i try on supremes? i noticed a lot of defensemen in the nhl wear supremes

[natbat 0]

I have always wore Bauers , but it nothing to do with me being a defensemen. I can tell you through all my years of playing and countless defensemen schools, the coaches discussed radius and pitch. I have always skated on a 9 ft. Radius and back on my heels because of my Bauer skates. I was told I should be on my heels for better balance when playing the body as I skate backwards. My last defense coach wanted me to have a larger radius for more stability, but I have always been very comfortable on a 9ft. Radius. I don't think it the skate so much as how stable you can be skating backwards. If it helps I wear Bauer one80's and love them.

[skyscrape 5]

You need to go with the best fit you can find! Then throw some Tuuk holders on em and get them profiled.

[wrangler 157]

That's right. Buy the boot for fit, deal with the blades/holders afterward if necessary.

[Doughnuts08 6]

If your heel is lifting up that is a bigger issue than the holder. I came from CCM Vectors to Graf 705's and didn't notice any difference in the pitch of the Cobras. The Grafs actually help me feel more stable going backwards on D, and my heel is locked in at all times.. Did the LHS you bought the Grafs from actually fit you for the proper boot? Your heel shouldnt be slipping if the boot is fitted properly to your foot type.

[Chadd 916]

try on the CCMs and spend some time walking around in them and getting yourself in skating positions. Yeah, it's going to look a little strange in the shop but you don't want to end up with the same heel problems with heel slippage.