Youth Stick for a Little Guy

[Stoop 1]

My 4 year old has been skating, and we play hockey in shoes in the kitchen and outside. He uses a Target stick with a super soft plastic blade.

We're about reading to go to skate and shoots (yes, I realize he's 2 years behind your average Canadian kid - we're not trying for the NHL). Any thoughts on youth sticks? I'm looking right now at the Sher-wood Nexon N8. It seems pretty basic, and it comes in a straight blade, which seems like a good idea. $40 seems fine.

I'm not opposed to wood, but I'm not getting one if the only reason to do so is that's what our generation used as a kid. Again, not tied to composite, but it seems like there's more availability and options. For example, I'm not seeing a lot of straight blades in wood. Also, the youth wood sticks are heavier than my composite. He could handle, but why? He'd might benefit from the weight reduciton more than me -- I could probably literally use a broom and be just as bad.

On the other hand, I'm not paying $80 for a youth stick, that's crazy. Its not a performance buy.

[AIREAYE 248]

The thing about youth composites is that structurally, you will find nearly no performance bonus from a youth EQ50, to a T1, to an RS etc. It's a paintjob. I suggest finding a youth stick that has a shaft appropriately sized so that he can grip it well. Even between the youth composites there are varying shaft sizes.

[Chadd 916]

I'm a big fan of youth composite sticks. They have more flex than wood sticks and make it easier for kids to lift the puck when they shoot. The blades also don't get waterlogged and turn to mush.

[goblue9280 33]

Nothing wrong with the composite route... at 4 he'll surely outgrow the stick before he breaks it. As Chadd said, you have the waterlog issue with wood sticks.

Some brands of youth sticks have even smaller cross-section shafts... not sure about that particular model, but some sherwoods I've seen have had the smallest cross section, making it perfect for a 4-year old. For most brands, they only offer one or two youth models, which are made as cheap as possible and then painted with the top model graphics. I switched my now 8-year old to a junior setup this past season because he was going through so many youth sticks. He broke 4 or 5 in a year... most near the heel of the blade. While he could probably still benefit from the lower flex and smaller cross section of the youth sticks, I found it too costly to keep shelling out $50-60 for a stick that would only last a couple months. But that's not something you'll need to worry about as yours is still a couple years away from breaking sticks.

[Stoop 1]

Thanks for the feedback

I'm thinking of the straight because, even though he mostly plays left, he sometimes switches up. And thought it would help backhand.

But maybe I should get him to commit to one side? Anyone started a kid with straight?

[ibeck 38]

But maybe I should get him to commit to one side? Anyone started a kid with straight?

I believe Mr. Troy Crosby started his son with a straight blade and that worked out pretty well

[bwhinnen 1]

My son who just turned 7, started practicing around 4 months ago (he only started skating about 7 months ago), started with a street stick (Reebok SHK), so wooden shaft but polymer blade. The blade doesn't get waterlogged and the whole stick was relatively cheap (for Australia). We have recently upgraded him to some decent composite sticks only because we got them nice and cheap on close out sales. Only one has been cut to size for him and the other will remain un-cut until he gets older, well taller. The old street stick remains as his backup we take to games.

He also favoured his left side with any stick he picked up so we have kept him playing as a leftie.

[Law Goalie 147]

Grip on shaft is the way to go for these little guys. It will with the child's lack of hand strength to keep the shaft in the hand better.

I'm a big fan of youth composite sticks. They have more flex than wood sticks and make it easier for kids to lift the puck when they shoot. The blades also don't get waterlogged and turn to mush.

I suggest finding a youth stick that has a shaft appropriately sized so that he can grip it well. Even between the youth composites there are varying shaft sizes.

That's the best advice you're going to get: pick something with dimensions he can actually hold, with grip coating to compensate for his natural lack of strength in that respect, and get the lowest usable flex rating. Being able to quote and refer to posts like these is why MSH exists.

[Vet88 674]

But maybe I should get him to commit to one side? Anyone started a kid with straight?

Leave him with a straight stick at this stage, one of the best things you could do for him right now. His brain, body and hands will eventually work out which way he wants to hold it. If he needs any advice then tell him his strong hand should be on the top, other than that let him go for it.

Learning to handle a puck on both sides is something I wish I had learnt but once I picked a stick up and held it similar to how I play golf, the rest is history.....

[jimmy 194]

Youth composites are not composites, they are just fiberglass. Painted to look like their expensive brothers, but nothing like them. There is absolutely no advantage using a fiberglass stick. However with wood, the player will get a better feel for the puck, better stickhandling, better control. The minor, minor weight difference is not an issue. Wood is not old school. Spend the $12 on a youth wood stick and when the time is right, yyou can switch him to a junior composite. Still most of them are nothing construction wise like their senior counterpart. Even for a junior size, not much performance gains.

[Chadd 916]

Youth composites are not composites, they are just fiberglass. Painted to look like their expensive brothers, but nothing like them. There is absolutely no advantage using a fiberglass stick. However with wood, the player will get a better feel for the puck, better stickhandling, better control. The minor, minor weight difference is not an issue. Wood is not old school. Spend the $12 on a youth wood stick and when the time is right, yyou can switch him to a junior composite. Still most of them are nothing construction wise like their senior counterpart. Even for a junior size, not much performance gains.

I used to be a huge advocate for wood sticks with kids but I watched too many younger/smaller kids have a significant improvement just by going to a more flexible composite youth stick. Between the increased ability to lift pucks and the fact that the blade doesn't rot out due to moisture, there is no good reason not to. You'll spend less money on one youth composite than you will replacing the wood sticks when the blades get soggy.

[AIREAYE 248]

edit: redundant comment

[jimmy 194]

I used to be a huge advocate for wood sticks with kids but I watched too many younger/smaller kids have a significant improvement just by going to a more flexible composite youth stick. Between the increased ability to lift pucks and the fact that the blade doesn't rot out due to moisture, there is no good reason not to. You'll spend less money on one youth composite than you will replacing the wood sticks when the blades get soggy.

, If a youth can lift a puck with a fiberglass stick, he can with a wood with similar curve. Flex is not that differenct where it makes a huge difference. Haven't seen to many kids rot out wood, they grow so fast, usually outgrow it before that happens. One additional benefit of the cheaper wood is when they grow 2", parent just spends $12 and gets another woodie. When they outgrow that $49 fiberglass stick, it's another $49 for another one. No extensions avail for the youth models.

[Coldclay 53]

My son, who just turned 8, has been playing for about a year. He uses a One95 Jr P92 50 flex IIRC. Got it used and cheap on ebay... When he first started, I pretty much got him only lefties, just because I wanted him to play lefty... What's surprising to me is that most kids at our youth program, 95% play with righties. My son and a few kids are the only lefties around.

He'll most definitely outgrown his stick before breaking it. He used a youth stick previously but I noticed the stick shaft seemed a bit too small for him and once he went jr, his stick handling improved a lot.

[Chadd 916]

, If a youth can lift a puck with a fiberglass stick, he can with a wood with similar curve. Flex is not that differenct where it makes a huge difference. Haven't seen to many kids rot out wood, they grow so fast, usually outgrow it before that happens. One additional benefit of the cheaper wood is when they grow 2", parent just spends $12 and gets another woodie. When they outgrow that $49 fiberglass stick, it's another $49 for another one. No extensions avail for the youth models.

These are things I have witnessed first hand, not theories.

[Tailboard Jockey 25]

In my experience with both my sons playing hockey, youth composite sticks are definitely more durable than youth wood sticks.

[goblue9280 33]

What's surprising to me is that most kids at our youth program, 95% play with righties. My son and a few kids are the only lefties around.

Mostly due to kids/parents who don't know walking into a store and buying a righty because their kid is right handed. I gave my two oldest straight blades to start, I was happy that both ended up with their dominant hand on top (which I was always told growing up was the way to go), so my left-handed son shots right, while my daughter is the other way around.

[raganblink 82]

I concur with Chadd on this one. I don't have exact numbers - only based on experience here - but the wood youth sticks we carry (Sherwood 5000, Reebok 2K & Easton SY50) the most flexible stick out of them, to me is the Sherwood 5000. It feels just as stiff as a 90-100 flex stick. Its freaking stiff. The youth sticks (RS, APX, T1, N8, Widow, Ai9 etc) on the other hand, are very flexible. If I followed through on a flex I would break it.

With these youth sticks, I'm usually cutting them down on top of them being so small, so that stick that feels like a 100 is getting stiffer. To the point where its hard to even flex it. The APX youth I cut down 4 inches still feels under a 50 flex, it says "53 flex" on the stick.

The blades are also stiffer, the blades do not get water-logged, and the weight difference is noticeable and helps the kids. Being able to flex the stick helps so much at every level. Is your shot going to be better at 10 years old with an APX SR 102 flex cut down 10 inches, or is it going to be better with a junior X2.0? Even with the weight difference & technological difference, the appropriate sized stick with appropriate flex is key and ideal and helps the person the most.

Why should a kid who is barely 60 pounds be in a stick that is heavier, worse blade quality in all aspects, who can't even flex it? You can also added extensions to them if you have a belt sander to get the plug in there, and there are some models where a junior extension will work (Warrior Widow & I thought the RS does? we're out of those so i can't check). I believe in appropriately sized sticks, and honestly if you're into hockey and the kid is under 80 pounds, he should be in a Youth composite. Granted there are exceptions to the "rules" but as a guide I would recommend the Youth composite.

[Coldclay 53]

Mostly due to kids/parents who don't know walking into a store and buying a righty because their kid is right handed. I gave my two oldest straight blades to start, I was happy that both ended up with their dominant hand on top (which I was always told growing up was the way to go), so my left-handed son shots right, while my daughter is the other way around.

Same here, I was taught that your dominant hand should be on top and so I'm really a righty but plays w/left handed sticks. Both my kids are righties but both plays with L sticks also.