Proper Hockey Stick Length
Based mostly on comfort and personal preference, the proper hockey stick length will be relative to the height of the player, their most common skating stance, and their position or style.
Hockey Stick Sizes
Off the rack, hockey stick sizes are categorized Adult, Intermediate, Junior. These categories do not only apply to the length of the stick, but also the flexibility and circumference of the shaft, and the blade size. It is not beneficial to skill development to buy hockey stick size too big hoping to grow in to it.
Choose Correct Hockey Stick Length
Begin by selecting a stick that is made for the category you are in by age/body size. For players that are 11 years old or younger, the correct hockey stick length will probably be a Junior hockey stick size. Once you become too tall for a Junior stick, get an Intermediate one. A small, light player with smaller hands should not use an adult hockey stick size.
- The circumference will be too big for the grip;
- A lot will be cut off the shaft so its flex will be too stiff;
- The blade will be too big and awkward.
Special note about correct hockey stick length: If you buy too big and have to cut the shaft, you’ll make the stick stiffer. Read about hockey stick flex here.
Measuring Proper Hockey Stick Length
Generally speaking, to measure yourself for the proper hockey stick length in a store without skates on:
- Stand up straight with your feet flat on the ground.
- Rest the toe of the stick in front of your feet on the floor.
- Look straight ahead.
- Mark the butt end of the shaft at the tip of your nose. With skates on, this will come to your bottom lip or so.
The proper hockey stick length for stickhandlers may be shorter for puck control and hand quickness; and longer for defense for stick checking.
Length of Hockey Stick
The length of hockey stick you use should represent your style. Crouched over players will play with shorter sticks, and upright skaters will use longer ones. Stickhandlers will use shorter sticks unless they like to reach far to keep the puck away from attackers. Defense will want to have longer sticks so they can reach for pucks. Those are just general guidelines.
Jolene, coaches telling kids to cut their stick to their noses with skates on shouldn’t be coaching… Follow what the best of the best do…
SMIRK, actually JP, you should re-read what Shooter wrote in the article and learn about punctuation! He didn’t write, “cut their stick to their noses with skates on”. Hehehehe, there’s a period in there. LOL. So, where does it say the stick length should be, when you read it properly?
I play ball hockey a.k.a floor hockey and I was thinking about cutting my stick. Its at my chin now but I was going to go to top of chest height for better and quicker stick handling. My question is, how do I know when short is too short?
i play a winger and a defensemen should i use 1 stick or a certain stick for each position
Hahaha, well unfortuneatly the stick lengths aren’t telescopic and you’ll have to choose or compromise. Which do you play the most?
I buy the longest stick that i can and put tape at the spot i would have cut. I use that as a guide for my hand. But i still have the length if i need it during a defensive play. I am a center, i would not do this if i was a wing, i would cut the stick.
Interesting Cliff, but risky. The proper way to cut a hockey stick for your correct hockey stick length is to avoid having that butt end sticking way out beyond your top hand, especially for a forward, because otherwise that butt end will get caught in your jersey, or cause other excess stick problems and obstructions. You need better maneuverability than that.
You’ll gain a lot of reach cutting a hockey stick your way, or not cutting at all; and save money on replacement hockey sticks as you grow unless you brake ‘em; but you’ll sacrifice a lot of performance.
Your strategy is not advisable.
What is the correct stick length to be? My son is going to be a squirt and they said his stick was too short. He could stick handle well, but had a hard time getting around a player to take puck away. The coaches said the kids have to have a stick that goes to nose with skates on or at chin with skates off. Is this true????
Yes Jolene, correct stick length is measured generally that way. See our "Measuring Proper Hockey Stick Length" red caption in this article here http://nhlhockeyice.com/ice-hockey-sticks/correct-hockey-stick-length/