Warrior Dynasty Sr - dangle

[JR Boucicaut 3799]

Open

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Stick Specs:

Senior Dynasty - matte clear

W03 (Kopitar aka Draper) - Lie 5

LH

100 Flex

Player Specs:

6'2"

200 lbs

LW/C

To begin this review, I'd like to thank JR and the folks at Warrior for the opportunity to review the Warrior Dynasty. Just another reason why Modsquad Hockey is awesome.

A little about me: I'm a 22 year old college student who plays on average of once/twice a week. I play at the A League Level and the traditional late night drop-in. If you have a question about my review or want to know something specific about the stick, please feel free to shoot me a PM.

Initial Impressions:

I just received the stick tonight. I was surprised at the size of the box! (I don't usually order sticks, but buy them locally) There was no additional packing in the box, only the stick in the clear plastic sleeve. The stick suffered no apparent shipping damages though.

The graphics are much more subdued than the Warriors of old, which is refreshing. The stick is still eye-catching, and unique. I prefer the matte finish (which most companies are going to for the finish of their sticks).

When I first picked the stick up, I thought to myself "This feels like a log!?" After handling it for a couple of minutes and breaking out a roller hockey ball, It felt right at home, weight wasn't a concern. I'm not a weight fanatic, as long as the stick feels right in my hands. I also realized the stick is about 2.5-3 inches longer than I usually play with (must be the +3" length this stick comes with!). After cutting it down, it felt even better. Granted, this is only in the confines of my apartment, but these are first impressions.

I will have the opportunity to test this stick out tomorrow and will post my game #1 impressions then.

For now, here are some pictures of the stick as it showed up to my place this evening.

Package:

Contents of package:

Detailed shots of the stick:

A nice touch with graphics (which are included throughout the stick):

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Game #1

I finally got to try this stick out in a game situation. Overall, I'm excited to keep using this stick. I got to the game late, meaning I didn't get to participate in warm-ups. Because of this, I wasn't able to take as many shots as I would've liked. So the shooting abilities of this stick are still relatively unknown to me at this point.

Passing with this stick is absolutely awesome. I've been bouncing around with curve types lately, but decided to go with my tried and true Kopitar curve. Saucer passes were crisp and accurate, on-ice passes were hard and clean... but it's not because of the curve! The blade is responsive, but not "pingy" (the X:60 blade is pingy!). This makes passing and receiving passes a dream.

I had a problem with stick handing during my first outing with this stick. I'm coming from the X:60 which has a lively blade. The blade on the Dynasty felt "dead". I had a hard time feeling the puck on my stick and didn't have confidence in pulling any sort of dangles. I feel as though this is because I'm going from one extreme to the other in terms of blades. Time will tell.

The weight of the stick was not an issue for me at all. I don't know the exact weight of the Dynasty, but it felt good in my hands. The stick does feel a bit blade heavy, so I may cut it down and add a wood insert in the future.

Overall, I'm excited to get more ice time with this stick. I feel as if this is going to be a great shooting piece just from the way the blade responded while doing a lot of passing.

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^{Games 2-4}

^{Over the past 2 weeks, I've been able to play in 3 games with this stick. To summarize my experience with it so far in one word... awesome.}

^{Shooting is incredible with this thing! Not only does the shaft kick like a mule, but the blade provides an enormous amount of "pop". I've really noticed this with snap-shots. The shaft seems to flex as advertised (~100 flex) maybe a bit stiffer, but nothing to write home about.}

^{The blade, to me, is a love/hate relationship at this point. I love the way it performs when shooting and passing, but I have a hard time "feeling" the puck on the blade when stickhandling. I lack the confidence that the puck is where I need it to be in high-traffic areas. I've turned the puck over more than usual because of "muffed" dangles and have resorted to "just protect the puck" and "pull up and hit the trailer" when going into the offensive zone.}

^{The stick weight has not been an issue; it plays lighter than it actually feels off the ice. Even late into games, it is respectable enough of a weight to not be a problem due to fatigue.}

^{The stick is holding up very well cosmetically so far, only one or two small chips in the graphics. The blade shows no sign of wear yet and I plan to keep using this stick as I normally would (i.e. no pampering it) to test its durability.}

^{So far, I'm impressed.}

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Games 5-9

After a fair number of games/drop-ins with the Dynasty, I'm beginning to get used to the puck feel that the blade has. I'm not the best stick-handler as it is, so it takes me a bit to conform to a new sticks feel and response. On a lively blade like the X:60, I can make the adjustment fine, but on a "duller" feeling blade like the Dynasty, I tend to struggle for a bit. Although I would not label the Dynasty blade as "dead", it certainly isn't lively.

The stick is still kicking like the day I unwrapped it. It shoots incredibly hard and the blade still has the "pop" to it.

My only complaint thus far is a bit of a balance issue. I am considering putting a wood insert into the shaft to equal out the bit of blade-heaviness it has. Again, not a huge issue, but something I'm considering.

Thus far, I don't have plans switching sticks anytime soon! This is a great stick!

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Can't add much at this point, this stick has won me over with its great shooting abilities.

I have played a number of shifts with my X:60, Dolomite and even once with my old One90 for giggles... and I keep coming back to the Dynasty.

It's holding up great and no major blade or shaft damage even after some board battles, getting hacked in the front of the net, etc.