How to Buy A Stick

[2nhockey 21]

Now that new leg pads have been found and the order has gone out, I am looking for a stick (skates will be next).

Last year the boy used a composite TPS stick. I knew nothing about goalie sticks other than he needed one and during our travels for my daughter's tournament we came across a shop that the owner tried to help us but he admitted he wasn't an expert with goalie gear. He offered the stick to us and it was better than anything we had (which was nothing) so we took it and the boy played hockey.

Now my son has grown and I don't know that the stick is too small now but it is close if it isn't. I'm not in any sort of a hurry to buy a stick but do want to capitalize on a good deal if one pops up.

My son will likely be playing PeeWee B. I don't know if I should be looking for wood or composite. I don't know what is advantageous of the different materials or cores, and don't know why a manufacturer would have more than 1 wood and 1 composite stick in its matrix.

Looking for someone to point me to a buyer's guide or make recommendations. I don't have a budget in mind because for the life of me I don't understand how there could be a performance difference between 2 different wood sticks or 2 different composites.

My son and I don't have a brand bias, yet. Appreciate your help. 

[Jamarquan 201]

1 hour ago, 2nhockey said:

Now that new leg pads have been found and the order has gone out, I am looking for a stick (skates will be next).

Last year the boy used a composite TPS stick. I knew nothing about goalie sticks other than he needed one and during our travels for my daughter's tournament we came across a shop that the owner tried to help us but he admitted he wasn't an expert with goalie gear. He offered the stick to us and it was better than anything we had (which was nothing) so we took it and the boy played hockey.

Now my son has grown and I don't know that the stick is too small now but it is close if it isn't. I'm not in any sort of a hurry to buy a stick but do want to capitalize on a good deal if one pops up.

My son will likely be playing PeeWee B. I don't know if I should be looking for wood or composite. I don't know what is advantageous of the different materials or cores, and don't know why a manufacturer would have more than 1 wood and 1 composite stick in its matrix.

Looking for someone to point me to a buyer's guide or make recommendations. I don't have a budget in mind because for the life of me I don't understand how there could be a performance difference between 2 different wood sticks or 2 different composites.

My son and I don't have a brand bias, yet. Appreciate your help. 

The consensus seems to be on foam core - composite is light but vibrates a lot, wood is too heavy but has good puck feel. Foam is in between the two. Is your son a Regular (holds stick in right hand) or Full Right (holds stick in left hand)?

Here's a few: http://www.goaliemonkey.com/equipment/sticks/int-goalie-sticks/twigz-goalie-stick-f16-int.html

http://www.goaliemonkey.com/equipment/sticks/int-goalie-sticks/bauer-goalie-stick-reactor-7000-int.html

http://www.goaliemonkey.com/equipment/sticks/int-goalie-sticks/ccm-goalie-stick-860-int.html

 

 

[goalieman39 37]

In order to tell if the size is right the way we size them at my shop is have them put their skates on and then get into their stance.  The stick should feel like it's at a comfortable spot without the blocker feeling too low.  Are there any brick and mortar stores around you?  If so I would suggest going with his skates and having him hold a few different ones.  The other downside of ordering online is that each company does their sizing a little different.  For example a 27.5" paddle in a warrior and a 27" paddle in a bauer are about the same size, with the bauer being a little bit bigger.  Definitely suggest a foam core, great balance of weight and puck feel.

[2nhockey 21]

Ok, he would be a regular, I believe (glove is on left, stick and blocker on right).

I would rather pay a premium and buy locally or even somewhat locally so I could get size support and answers to all my questions but that just isn't possible. Closest shop to me is +/- 6 hours each way, which is why I try to take advantage of tournaments that we travel to (Minneapolis a couple weeks ago, Fargo in 2 weeks). It isn't always practical to bring the boy to the sister's tournaments, though. And sometimes it is a bad idea to pen those 2 up for 10 hours in a car together! Anyway, all thag to say I'll buy in a shop if possible but it frequently isn't possible.

Appreciate the help. Foam core makes sense and I now have a starting point! 

How reliable are the goalie stick size charts I've found? CCM chart says 5' to 5'6 gets a CCM 24" stick. I guess a comparable Warrior is like 25...

Thank you! 

[IPv6Freely 2087]

Ignore the charts. Best way is to get him on his skates with his pads and blocker on. Get him into his stance, and try sticks until he has one where his blocker is in the right place (not in front of the leg, but also not up too far either). Stick length problems are usually pretty evident when you see them in their stance. Of course as they improve their stance may change and you may have to adapt stick length accordingly. But that's a good place to start.

Definitely yes on foam core. I'm a huge fan of Warrior sticks. Even the cheapest ones are fantastic. I used to use the Twigz but found them a bit heavy and too stiff.

As far as price between different foam core sticks, it usually mostly just depends on the construction and materials for example the higher end foam core sticks may have reinforced blades for durability, etc. Obviously composite are going to be significantly more expensive than foam core though. Foam core is 100% worth the price increase over wood, though. 

[deej 19]

I'm sure I read here, from Law Goalie, that you should size your stick for your butterfly.  A stance can be fixed relatively easily, but not much can be done when you're down.

 

EDIT:

Aha!

Law Goalies post

[IPv6Freely 2087]

5 minutes ago, deej said:

I'm sure I read here, from Law Goalie, that you should size your stick for your butterfly.  A stance can be fixed relatively easily, but not much can be done when you're down.

 

EDIT:

Aha!

Law Goalies post

Totally agree. That takes it one step further and makes a lot of sense. Even further away from measuring for height :)

[2nhockey 21]

Took advantage of GM's clearance section and 25% off email and rebound rewards and ordered the boy a CCM 1060 Bernier curve 24" (I think I gave  $55 delivered for it,. Stick arrived and we taped it up and got it ready to go. Stick feels a little lighter than his TPS composite, which surprised me as I expected it to be like half the weight. Fit of the stick to him and his style in the house (so no ice time, yet) appears petfect. He's excited about getting some puck marks on it!