Every parent wants to help their child be the best that they can be. That might be springing for extra lessons, rattling off some Herb Brooks quality motivational speak, or, of course, getting them top-notch equipment.

Hockey sticks for young players are changing

If you've been keeping up on the sport the last couple years, you've probably noticed that there's been a shift in hockey stick builds for young players. Historically, youth ice hockey sticks have been 1) this almost round cut shaft with a small blade or 2) a larger stick from their sibling or parent that's cut short enough for the young player. Either way, the focus was exclusively on getting the kid on the ice to work on skating and puck handling. A great strategy, most of the time. The major manufacturers understood this and subsequently produced some very cheaply built kid sticks to meet customer demand, and didn't charge much for them. Good business, right?

In the past few years, new companies have popped up in an effort to address a major shortcoming in that strategy. For a few dollars more, they can produce the same performance-built sticks that are used at the highest levels of the game. Kids sticks that are sized with larger shaft and blade dimensions, flexes, and lengths to help with overall playability, but also help to improve stick handling along with shot power and performance in young players. Time and time again, when a kid changes to these sticks, they don't go back to the other major brand inferior builds.

Twig Deux Junior

So who makes these?

The major players in the market are Raven, True, Mode, and our team at Twig Hockey Company. Why aren't Bauer, CCM, and Warrior jumping on board with these builds? Quite simply, they are huge publicly traded companies that flock to the masses and there are still more customers out there who either just need the cheapest thing available or just don't know that these new sticks are available.

Which one is best?

Of course, we'll tell you that our new junior Rogue is the best. Our previous build, junior Deux, received rave reviews as well. But to be as helpful as possible, we did assemble some comprehensive details below for you to evaluate all the best offerings yourself.

There are a few constants here. All of the sticks listed are built for either elite or advanced play, meaning that they are one-piece all carbon sticks, built just like the best big boy twigs, and unlike the cheaper fiberglass blend compositions that are designed for recreational play in most youth offerings from CCM, Bauer, and Warrior.

The Details

20 Flex

     Twig Rogue     
     Raven Edge    
     Raven Ninja III    
     Mode Battlemode     
     True XC9 UFlex    
Weight
265g 270g 250g 280g 315g
Length
47" 47" 47" 47" 48"
Price
$74.99 $104.99 $139.99 $94.99 $99.99



30 Flex

     Twig Rogue     
     Raven Edge    
     Raven Ninja III    
     Mode Battlemode     
     True XC9 UFlex    
Weight
275g 280g 270g 300g 325g
Length
52" 52" 52" 52" 50"
Price
$89.99 $134.99 $149.99 $114.99 $119.99



40 flex

     Twig Rogue     
     Raven Edge    
     Raven Ninja III    
     Mode Battlemode     
     True XC9 UFlex    
Weight
295g 299g 290g 320g 340g
Length
56" 56" 56" 56" 52"
Price
$96.99 $154.99 $159.99 $124.99 $139.99



50 Flex

     Twig Rogue     
     Raven Edge    
     Raven Ninja III    
     Mode Battlemode     
     True XC9 UFlex    
Weight
340g 320g 310g ? 350g
Length
59" 60" 60" 59" 54"
Price
$99.99 $164.99 $169.99 $134.99 $169.99

Final Thoughts

This is by no means comprehensive of all possibilities on the market. As an example, Bauer released their Vapor Flylight in a youth diameter shaft and blade (Why on earth?) this season in 20 and 30 flex. The 20 flex weighs 263g, is 46" long, and costs $99.99. They 30 flex is 50" long and costs $149.99. There are others, but this should give you the most comprehensive comparison of sticks you should be targeting for your young skater.

You'll notice that ours tend to float at the less expensive end of the pricing spectrum. That's just part of our ongoing effort to make the sport of hockey more accessible for everyone. We can't help you with ice time and travel costs, but we can offer up some of the best equipment on the market at a more palatable price point. We hope you'll choose us at Twig Hockey Company, but regardless, the ice hockey sticks listed above are all high-end builds with junior size shaft dimensions to help maximize your child's ability much more than those cheap youth builds.