Choosing Proper Flex - Futur Hockey Factory Outlet (2024)

FAQs

How do you choose the right flex hockey stick? ›

Younger players should focus getting the right size stick, and it will typically provide an adequate flex. Once players reach the senior stick size, flex will become more important. Most experts recommend selecting a flex that is half your body weight (ex: 100 lbs. hockey player uses a 50 flex stick).

With that all said, the majority of NHL players use a stick with flex in the 85-100 range. Forwards tend to use a lower flex. Some players with a notable low flex are Johnny Gaudreau with a 55 flex and Phil Kessel with a 65 flex. You can see just how much bend these players get out of their stick when they shoot.

As for details, Bedard uses a PP92 blade curve and a 71-72 flex stick. "I like it pretty whippy," he told ESPN the night he was drafted. The PP92 has an open face with a mid-toe curve that helps cradle the puck, which is good for stick-handling through traffic.

Cale Makar Stick Spec Check

Makar has stuck with his preferred P88-style mid curve since he was young, and in most cases uses a fairly stiff 95-105 flex stick with an extended length shaft and standard grip finish.

TLDR; Entry level players will likely play better with a P92 curve, but could grow in skill-set by using the P28 for one stick-life. Advanced players can choose either based on preference on the ice. P92: Easy to aim high, and low shots are very easily managed by rolling the wrists to close the blade.

The Gretzky classic. This led a bit of an era of Easton sticks (like the silver tip I mentioned above) that were really cool, but made out of actual metal. Meaning, they weren't that much lighter, and they were roughly 46,000 flex.

We have seen a variety of flexes on Crosby sticks, but they are always at least 100, which is evidence of his freakish strength that has contributed to him being a generational talent. Crosby prefers full sandpaper grip on the shaft of this stick, an unorthodox choice unpopular with many players.

Matthews revealed in an interview with Bauer that he likes an especially whippy stick, using an 80 flex stiffness along with a Joe Sakic curve. Most people are familiar with the P92 Sakic curve that comes stock with most brands, but the 80 flex is interesting.

Phil Kessel (65 flex): Last season, his 12th in the NHL, Kessel scored a career-high 92 points.

What Flex does Elias Pettersson use? ›

Pettersson used an 82 flex in 2021-22, and went up to an 87 flex last season, but as he explains above, it was more about finding a length he was comfortable playing with, which naturally brings down the stick's flex.

“And then as time develops, I always used a stiff stick. I used like 107 when I started, then I went down to 102, now I'm at a 95 flex.

Tavares had been using a Drury-style heel curve since he was 14, but started experimenting with teammate Pierre Engvall's sticks this season before eventually ordering his own batch with the P29 curve, while also moving from a 90 flex to a 95 flex.

A stiffer flex stick will help you win puck battles along the boards and faceoffs, and if you're blasting shots from the point you'll create more power. Less hockey stick flex increases your feel, better for sending and receiving passes, controlling the puck and getting off shots quickly and precisely.

Hockey Stick Flex is when the stick bends as it hits the ice, just before making contact with the puck. The spring-like effect created here releases the stored energy from the stick into the puck. And utilizing the right Hockey Stick Flex can greatly improve your shot accuracy, power, and efficiency.

So, while the manufacturer flex doesn't change on this stick, it will take the force of a stiffer flex to make the stick work correctly. For example, if you have a 100-flex stick senior stick that is 60 inches long, and you cut it down to 57 inches, your flex will increase to roughly 110.