As a young person, Charlie McAvoy worn 100 flex on his right-shot sticks for one reason why: Charlie McAvoy Sr. had a prohibit to how a lot he cared to spend.
“When I got to senior sticks,” the more youthful McAvoy recalled with a grin, “he would get me 100 flex sticks so I wouldn’t break them. So that was all I really knew: a really stiff stick. I got used to that. I developed with that and was a good hockey player with that. So I just stayed there until someone was like, ‘You use 100? You should go down.’”
Ten years nearest, each as a Boston Bruins defenseman and Bauer consultant, McAvoy could have as many sticks as he desires. He isn’t glad with simply any style. McAvoy’s Bauer Proto-R sticks are custom designed to fit his obligations as a two-way defender.
McAvoy isn’t lonely.
NHLers design their sticks consistent with their activity descriptions. The stick that works for McAvoy, as an example, would now not be optimized for a penalty-killing wing.
To end up this level, listed here are six NHLers with various roles. Their stick variety, with steering from GearGeek, is similarly aberrant.
Like McAvoy, the alternative avid gamers earn person endorsements from producers, which is able to affect how they understand their sticks. To steer clear of lifeless endorsements, in requesting the avid gamers’ personal tastes, The Athletic desirous about specifics about variations between the manufacturers — and customizations to be had inside manufacturers, like flex, kick level, dimension and blade width.
Some partial is unavoidable, despite the fact that NHL avid gamers generally tend to position efficiency first in relation to their apparatus. The Seattle Kraken’s Joey Daccord, probably the most NHL’s sharpest puck-handling goalies, makes use of a Warrior stick. However he additionally makes use of True pads, a True glove and a Bauer blocker.
“I’m pretty close with Cory Schneider,” Daccord stated of the previous NHL goalie. “He always said, ‘You’re going to make a lot more money stopping pucks than getting an endorsement deal from a goalie company.’ He wore different pads and different glove and blocker throughout his career. I just try to go with what works best for me.”
Solutions had been condensed for readability.
Garnet Hathaway, power wing and penalty killer
Bauer Nexus Tracer, 95 flex
The Philadelphia Flyers veteran previously worn CCM. This summer time, he switched to Bauer.
“I used a really old stick with CCM. They stopped making the model I had because it was so old. I think I had it from the 2015-16 season. So they stopped making it, and the one I used last year, it wasn’t the same. So I started looking around for a stick that worked better for me.”
A part of Hathaway’s activity is pulling pucks off the forums and getting them out of the defensive zone. As such, Hathaway likes a three-inch-tall blade.
“I don’t know why everyone doesn’t use it. There’s probably some benefits and downfalls to it. A big part of my game is consistency with wall battles — getting the puck out of my zone, getting the puck into the other team’s zone, knocking down passes, getting my stick in the lane. Just the tiny little details that might make the puck go the other way or stay out of your zone for a little bit longer. Then in front, you have a little more height on your blade to tip pucks. There’s a lot of really skilled guys in this league. When we’re looking at that spectrum of the level, guys might like a smaller blade and quickness of stickhandling. But I found with the max height, I switched over a while ago and it gives you a bigger paddle to catch passes.”
Hathaway does now not stock a usual agenda on when he swaps sticks. That comes when he feels the used one shedding juice.
“I usually wear it down to the bone. Sticks tend to lose their pop a little bit. I’m using one now that I’ve used for a long time in pregame skate. The blade feels a little weak. I’ll probably cut a stick for the game and use it in warmups. If I like that, then I’ll go with that. But I have a couple. I have two or three ones taped up that have gone through the rotation. Sometimes I’ll instantly like it. Some days, it’ll become my set backup that I’ll use for practice.”
Hathaway grew up the usage of timber Sherwood sticks. He didn’t must pay for them, however in go back he was once anticipated to support on the Maine eating place his folk as soon as owned.
“Those Sherwoods were my childhood. I remember getting my first composite stick, an Easton Z-Bubble Grip two-piece with a wooden blade at the end. That was a big step. I don’t think my parents ever invoiced me for it. But I like to think that I did my chores and helped. I had a family restaurant growing up. Maybe that’s where it comes back.”
Wyatt Johnston, playmaking and capturing heart
Bauer Proto-R, 77 flex
Johnston, the Dallas Stars’ first-round select in 2021, has worn his Bauer since his first season professional in 2022-23.
“The weight of it. Really light. I like the feel of it. Liked the way the puck felt on my stick with it. The weight, balance, just the feeling of it. Every stick feels different. Part of it is getting used to it. Really comfortable with it from using it for a while. The flex feels pretty good for pretty much everything. So it’s good for a lot of snap shots and quick-release stuff. That’s pretty much what all my shots are. I’m not really taking any slap shots, not too many one-timers.”
Johnston was once a go-to scorer for the Windsor Spitfires. It’s the place he dialed himself into his stream setup.
“I had the flex and the curve set in junior. Then it was trying some different flex points. I’m a low kick. Just like the way my snap shot feels with it. It loads better. I feel like I can use the flex better for my snap shots. Whereas a different kick I find doesn’t load better for the way I shoot and what kind of shots I’m doing more often than not.”
A part of Johnston’s activity is to distribute the puck. Along with his stick, he prioritizes a steadiness between correct capturing and blank puckhandling.
“You only get a couple opportunities a game to shoot. But I find shooting is probably one of the bigger things I find is different, just the way the release is and the way I feel the stick. I think it’s probably 50-50, because stickhandling is so important, being able to make plays, being comfortable with it.”
Johnston estimated he worn about 60 sticks in 2023-24. This is a wild quantity to believe when recalling how few sticks he worn till he reached Windsor.
“My parents wanted them to last as long as they possibly could. I wasn’t getting a new stick until it broke. They weren’t happy about me breaking sticks. When you’re younger, you can keep a stick for a full year. So pretty spoiled. It’s pretty cool. It’s fun to be able to get whatever you want, customize it however you want. It’s pretty fun. Pretty lucky you’re able to get as many sticks as you can.”
Wyatt Johnston needful out with 32 targets and 65 issues extreme season. (Codie McLachlan / Getty Photographs)
Charlie McAvoy, all-around defenseman
Bauer Proto-R, 87 flex
The Bruins need McAvoy to kill. However his precedence is dealing with the puck.
“I need to feel the puck. There’s some sticks, whether it was Bauer or CCM, different models and different patterns, where I could shoot the puck harder. I could feel it. It comes off the stick quicker. But I couldn’t even stickhandle. I couldn’t handle the puck. I’m like, ‘This thing feels like a rifle. I can’t handle it.’ You have to find the combination of what feels good to you. But my biggest thing has always been handling the puck. If you think about it, in the aspect of a game, you want to feel very comfortable with your shot. But I handle the puck all game. I might end the game with zero shots. Or I might have five or 10, depending on the night. But shooting is such a small fraction of touching the puck every time you’re out on the ice. I feel like not many shifts go by where you’re not touching the puck. So you have to have handle. You have to have control and feel. That’s the most important thing to me.”
Some avid gamers are fast to modify sticks, particularly once they’re slumping. No longer McAvoy.
“I always come back to where I am. There’s a lot of other guys that will try a new pattern, new flex, new everything. When they’re down, they just change it up. They’ll try it out and maybe it works. But it’s hard. It’s hard for me to change. Last year was the first time I used 87. It was pretty hard. I spent the majority of the summer trying to get used to it to where I finally felt good. The ease with which you do everything is definitely easier. The stick works for you more. Instead of having to put your whole body weight behind a 95 or 100, you can kind of flick an 87, and it’s going to go more. Because it works easier.”
NHL customized sticks are home made. So there will probably be variances. McAvoy can really feel them.
“The weights are the biggest thing. They’re always off. They’re always different. You’re never going to have them be uniform. If they’re supposed to be one pound, sometimes it’ll be 0.95 or 1.1. You’ll feel it be a little bit heavier or lighter. I’ll feel that sometimes. That’s just the human error of it.”
At absolute best, a stick will extreme 3 video games for McAvoy. That doesn’t occur frequently.
“I use a lot of sticks. I’ll try and stretch one out anywhere from one to three games. Then I’ll get a new one. Three is the limit. It’s whipped out.”
Charlie McAvoy says 3 video games is his max for the usage of a stick. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Photographs)
CCM Tacks XF Professional, 100 flex
The 2-time 40-goal scorer is a grip-and-rip shooter. He’s worn CCM for the while 8 years, again to his OHL days. So Robertson sees refuse reason why to modify. At the spectrum of stick consciousness, from geek to aimless person, Robertson is squarely within the last camp.
“That’s me. Just give me the stick. I haven’t changed anything. The only thing they change is the material and the graphics. But I haven’t changed anything in eight, nine years. I know my flex. That’s about it. Because it says it on it. It comes stock, so I don’t have to cut it or anything. Good to go.”
As for the rationale he gained’t alternate, Robertson has a easy solution: It really works.
“I like not having any doubt. With having the same thing, there’s no doubt. It’s good. So keep doing it. I’m not one for changing stuff, changing specs. Doesn’t mean I won’t ever do it. But right now, I’m just comfortable with what I’ve been using.”
Jason Robertson shoots along with his CCM stick as Charlie McAvoy defends along with his Bauer. (Sam Hodde / Getty Photographs)
Kevin Rooney, bottom-six heart and penalty killer
Warrior Alpha LX2 Professional, 85 flex
Rooney isn’t untouched to Warrior. He attempted the sticks with the Pristine Jersey Devils. Nearest an shock, Rooney went again to CCM past with the Calgary Flames. This while summer time, Rooney returned to Warrior.
“I just felt my CCM was breaking too much in the D-zone on faceoffs. I was being left out there without a stick. It was kind of costly. So I went to the Warrior. It’s happened to me once this year. But it’s only happened once. I’ve only broken one stick. I feel like they’re more durable. I liked the CCM stick. I love the feel of it, playing with the puck. But my role is more faceoffs, being stiff on your stick, being hard on your stick. I feel like it just made more sense. If I was going to go play pond hockey, I’d take the CCM back. But I like how durable the Warrior is.”
To optimize his stick for defensive-zone faceoffs, Rooney makes use of the three-inch-tall most top on his blade.
“I use the heightened blade, the thickest blade you can have, just for being able to knock pucks down, faceoffs, all those things.”
Rooney can utility as many sticks as he desires. That was once now not all the time the case.
“My dad would always get us one or two sticks a season. You just hope it lasts you all season. The back of my skate came off one year. I just didn’t want to tell my dad I needed new skates. So I played the whole season without the guard that protects your Achilles.”
Kevin Rooney fends off Simon Edvinsson past the usage of his Warrior persist with keep an eye on the puck. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Photographs)
Warrior Novium Professional, 105 flex
Zadorov has worn Warrior for the extreme 3 or 4 seasons. He does now not speed his punches when explaining why he switched from Bauer.
“When I was in Chicago, I didn’t like the Bauer sticks. I switched to Warrior. I like it a lot. They were just not fitting me. I had a wrist injury. I had a surgery to repair my whole wrist. I was kind of adjusting. It changed my shooting angle and stickhandling. I just didn’t feel like the Bauer stick fitted me well.”
The defenseman began with a P92. He’s now the usage of a Nikita Kucherov curve.
“It’s higher. It’s maximum height so the puck doesn’t bounce over. I’m not as skilled as him. I think Kucherov, (Erik) Karlsson, (Oliver) Ekman-Larsson use that curve. In the bubble, I tried Jamie Benn’s curve. It has the low toe. It’s like a P92 but it has no extension toe at the end. I tried it for one year. I didn’t really like it. So I went back to the curve I’ve been using for the last four years.”
Zadorov is 6-foot-6 and 248 kilos. His stick is quite shiny for his dimension.
“I don’t like hard sticks. You just don’t have time to shoot slap shots in the game, right? Because the game is so fast. They’re getting close. My wrist shot is hard enough to get it through and score a goal. I like it when it’s whippy a little for the wrist shot.”
Protection is Zadorov’s first activity. However in lieu of the usage of a protracted shaft for stick-on-puck maneuvers and disrupting lanes, Zadorov prefers shorter dimension to optimize his touches.
“I prioritize stickhandling and skill. I’ve still got long (arms) and I’m a good skater. I can get into the plays and close plays quickly. So I don’t really need a super, super long stick like (Zdeno Chara) had. My stick is short for me. (Brandon) Carlo, (Mason) Lohrei, they’re shorter than me but their sticks are longer. So I use a pretty short stick for myself.”
Zadorov makes use of a untouched stick each recreation.
“Eighty-two games, 82 sticks. They’re getting too whippy. So when I go through once in a game — battles, stickhandling, shooting, everything — it gets too whippy for me.”
Zadorov’s father purchased sticks for his son. Zadorov does now not know the way it would had been differently.
“How would I pay if I were a kid? How much was a stick, $200? You’ve got to walk a lot of dogs to earn that.”
That stated, Zadorov bought one stick consistent with season. It was once his activity to create it extreme.
“My dad would make me tape extra and make sure it doesn’t break. When I started, there was extenders. You have a curve and you have a shaft. You put them together. So the curve would break. But you’d still keep the shaft and put on a new curve. So it’s cheaper, actually.”
Nikita Zadorov defends Ivan Ivan along with his Warrior stick. (Matthew Stockman / Getty Photographs)
(Representation: Meech Robinson / The Athletic. Footage: Minas Panagiotakis, Carmen Mandato, Maddie Meyer and Bruce Bennett / Getty Photographs)
