Jr. stick flex?

[Pucks & Palm Trees 3]

For those of you with peewee-ish aged players playing high level hockey, which stick have you seen have the most flex? It has seemed to me that most of the jr. sticks end up being a bit too stiff for correct shooting form for most kids, especially if they get cut down at all, irrespective of what the listed "flex" # is for the stick. (The notable exception was the TPS sticks, which I don't think are available any more.) Realizing that every kid is different, any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[goblue9280 33]

I jumped on the Miken Accuflex bandwagon with my 2003... he's been using them for two seasons now and they've performed great. Flex seems to be right for his size/strength. Unfortunately Miken is gone, so we'll be looking for something new.

[Franko_10 3]

I believe flex is how many pounds of weight or strength needs to be used for it to be moved an inch. I'm long gone from junior sticks but if I remember generally you want to go to a LHS if your unsure about all of these things and they'll help you and your kid to find a proper stick.

[lachlan 3]

For a Pee Wee level kid (assuming average size) I'd stick with a 50 flex, especially if you cut it (since that will increase the stiffness in the shaft). I have a kid about to turn 10 and he is 4'9" and 85 pounds and uses a 40 flex but a few inches and it works well for him (he's been assessed by Base Hockey as well and that is appropriate given his size, shooting, etc). He's not Pee Wee aged obviously but I'd assume then a 50 flex (which is pretty standard for alot of jr sticks) would work well for a Pee Wee kid. If you are unsure see if any of his team mates have different flexes (and similar length sticks) and have your kid try them out for a few shots and see if you notice any difference.

[dewey79 3]

My son is a pee wee major and he uses the Miken accuflex 55 flex. I bought a bunch of miken sticks when they were on sale with inline warehouse for both my sons to use. I also bought the All Black Hockey Stick 50 flex and he seems to like that one a lot better, my 9 old also uses the ABHS 50 flex cut down a bit. We were fitted by Base also in Philly over the summer at a tournament and they were 40-50 respectively

[zebra_steve 11]

Daughter is PeeWee 5'2" 110# and plays with a Sherwood T90 40 flex. From what I understand, you can take 4" off the Sherwood and not affect the flex rating.

[stljrs 5]

I have found the Warrior 40 Flex in the Covert line to be the most flexible. Bauer I find to be relatively stiff, and really stiff if you have to cut it. Anecdotaly the others fall somewhere in between. Someone mentioned Miken and I find them to be on the stiff side also.

The problem is there is no standard and there is variation within product lines. To me Warrior Covert flex more easily than the Warrior Dynasty of the same Flex. And to put in perspective, Warrior 50 flex still flexes easier than a Bauer 45, by a good margin. I agree that many sticks are way to stiff for jr players, even high level players. If you want flex, I would look at the Warrior Covert Jr. 40 Flex. The monkey have many of the 2012 models on clearance at great prices. DT3 or DT5 can be had in 40 Flex for well under $100.

[Pucks & Palm Trees 3]

I have found the Warrior 40 Flex in the Covert line to be the most flexible. Bauer I find to be relatively stiff, and really stiff if you have to cut it. Anecdotaly the others fall somewhere in between. Someone mentioned Miken and I find them to be on the stiff side also.

The problem is there is no standard and there is variation within product lines. To me Warrior Covert flex more easily than the Warrior Dynasty of the same Flex. And to put in perspective, Warrior 50 flex still flexes easier than a Bauer 45, by a good margin. I agree that many sticks are way to stiff for jr players, even high level players. If you want flex, I would look at the Warrior Covert Jr. 40 Flex. The monkey have many of the 2012 models on clearance at great prices. DT3 or DT5 can be had in 40 Flex for well under $100.

Good advice. I did some checking and testing, and those Warrior Jr. 40 flexes were a good choice. Picked up a couple of close-out Widows, which worked out really well.

Is too bad that so many kids seem to be getting steered toward sticks that may be too stiff for them to use optimally, which makes it difficult for them to learn good shooting fundamentals. But it seems like the same thing happens with skates, too (I see a lot of kids skating in boots that are way too stiff for their size/strength, so they don't learn proper knee bend and toe kick). Is too bad, because there is so much great technology and equipment out there, but people seem to not realize that just like kids aren't shrunk down adults, good kid equipment shouldn't just be miniturized versions of adult gear.

[CB1 8]

As some of the others have recommended, I would look into the 40 or 50 flexes depending on how much you need to cut the stick (if any). My son played PW Minor this past year, but we had switched him to an intermediate stick last summer (he is 5'4, 130lbs). It is very difficult finding a stick that flexes correctly for their strength, size, and weight. Since we had to cut down the stick some we only went with sticks with a 60 flex. I like that Warrior has intermediate 55 flex sticks, as most brands generally start their intermediate sticks at 60 to 65.

It's a tough age for the PW's. They are growing like crazy, they are trying to learn how to shoot and flex their sticks properly. They also are getting picky around the curve they use and etc, so combining all those factors with stick flex can be difficult. I went into paralysis by analysis trying to find the right flex and curves for my son. Definitely over thought it. The kids will adapt, so don't drive yourself too crazy! Just go with your gut feeling, depending on their size, strength, weight and how much you will need to cut the sticks down.

[tvguy 5]

Raven Hockey has a good solution for bridging the gap between youth to junior size sticks. Essentially, junior sized shafts with weaker flexes. 23-30-40-50. sticks are also made a bit shorter so cutting them doesn't affect the flex too much.

[Monty22 821]

True has some low flex offerings as well.

[Chadd 916]

The problem is there is no standard and there is variation within product lines.

With engineered kickpoints becoming the norm, it has really made the base flex numbers largely irrelevant when comparing sticks.