What level Skates for 9 Year old?

[CHIP39 0]

I know this comes up a bit but are top end (or close to it) skates harder for younger players to skate in than their less expensive models simply because of the added stiffness?  My son is 9, about 85 lbs, and a very strong skater for his age group.  I bought him True Cat 5 (size 3)  for his last season because I assumed any more than that and they would be too stiff for such a little guy. Which was nice because they were way less than our budget. The  True Cat 9 (size 3.5) are what I am looking at, but I still have the thought of them being too much skate.  They are cheap and he loves the fit compared to anything else we tried on.  What are your experiences with junior skates?  

[BenBreeg 489]

I see a lot of kids on the ice, 90% of them are in mid level skates.  Some below.  I have never seen a kid skate and attributed any shortcoming to their skates.

i do see a lot of kids with no ability to get on their outside edges on get any kind of forward shin angle.  They have their skates cranked and it’s like from the knee down they are an action figure, the ankle doesn’t move.

my son is almost 13, a good skater, and is in the age where kids are enamored by high end sticks and skates.  I could afford it but I won’t buy him top end skates.

[Westside 219]

Can’t help with the question, but holy crap, I’m pretty sure I was 90lbs when I was 13 or 14

[VegasHockey 1261]

8 hours ago, CHIP39 said:

I know this comes up a bit but are top end (or close to it) skates harder for younger players to skate in than their less expensive models simply because of the added stiffness?  My son is 9, about 85 lbs, and a very strong skater for his age group.  I bought him True Cat 5 (size 3)  for his last season because I assumed any more than that and they would be too stiff for such a little guy. Which was nice because they were way less than our budget. The  True Cat 9 (size 3.5) are what I am looking at, but I still have the thought of them being too much skate.  They are cheap and he loves the fit compared to anything else we tried on.  What are your experiences with junior skates?  

Cat 9X would be fine for him. TRUE adjusts the stiffness of the shell for the size of the skate (junior/intermediate/senior)

[CHIP39 0]

16 hours ago, Westside said:

Can’t help with the question, but holy crap, I’m pretty sure I was 90lbs when I was 13 or 14

It’s funny how different people grow. My brother when he was 13 was 220 lbs and on the varsity football team and then some kids don’t grow until they are seniors in HS. I will say all of his hockey friends think he is big but he is a shrimp on his football team. He disappears in the huddle. 
 

Good to hear about the true skates. I can get a mostly new pair of the cat9 skates for 150 bucks. Easy call. We’ve been getting used skates up until his last pair but he’s getting pickier about the fit. And he is not a picky kid at all. His pads/sticks are all 10$ play it again finds. 

[Buzz_LightBeer 962]

The one consideration I’d have is the jump in stiffness, sounds like you’re willing to jump up in half sizes. I was always a fan of graduating up in stiffness gradually for kids. He may see more immediate benefit from the True 7 line, depending on his ankle strength. But both should provide some benefit. 

[swede 45]

When my son was 9 he skated in Bauer Nexus n7000, from there we went to CCM tacks 9370, and now when he is 11 he skates in Bauer Supreme 190’s.. 

I was a little bit unsure if the supremes would be too stiff, but when we skipped the second eyelet from the top he had no problem flexing his ankels and so on… 

My son does most of his dryland stickhandling exercises standing on a balance board so he has developed quite strong ankles allready.