The 13 Best Hockey Skates of 2023 | Goingbardown (2024)

After an insane year full of cancelled or delayed hockey seasons, it feels nice to be getting back to playing hockey! We hope wherever you’re visiting from your 2022 / 2023 season is long, uninterrupted, and filled with going bar down with any chance you get! Bauer, CCM, and True have been releasing some wicked models for this year, all vying for the best hockey skate title – so we are going to recap what we think is the cream of the crop!

A release that in any other time would have garnered more attention, Bauer dropped the Vapor Hyperlite skates and they are being spotted all over the NHL right now. They have quickly taken over our spot as the hottest skates of the year.

• Best Overall Hockey Skate:Bauer Vapor HyperLite
• Runner Up & Best CCM Skate:CCM SuperTacks AS3 Pro
• Best Budget Friendly Hockey Skate:True TF9

Bauer Vapor Hyperlite

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CCM Tacks AS-V Pro

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True TF9

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• Perfectly Molded Fit – Bauer has made major strides in ensuring your foot is held in place comfortably all game. The Lock-Fit Pro Liner and Flex-Lock Pro Tongue combine to provide the most responsive flex and feel from any skate I’ve ever tried.
• Paramount Protection – The Curv Composite material and X-rib support yield second to none protection for the heel and ankle when blocking shots and taking slashes. This is one of the best hockey skates for blocking shots and not having to worry about getting sidelined with a foot injury.
• Increased Agility – The Vapor skate is hands down one of the best for agile players. The Speed Plate molds to your foot, increasing your agility and stability. Having such good contact with the base of the skate, you will accelerate quicker laterally and horizontally than you ever have before.

• This is a tapered fit which means its ideal for players with low profile feet who like a shallow heal and low instep. Fit and comfort is the most important factor when choosing a hockey skate and this Bauer model is the best skate for players who prefer a flatter boot. Bauer has somewhat addressed this with their 3 fitment system, however we still find the Vapor is a skate designed for feet that are small in the toe box area

• The AS-V Pro has CCM’s new One-Piece boot power tech, with a lightweight RFM composite matched up with high end carbons in the boot. Together these give you a lightweight, strong, and efficient boot that transfer all your power to your blades
• Three Tongue Choices – XS Slim, Regular, or Extra made out of D30 smart material. The slim tongue is well suited to forwards, whereas the thick tongue adds some beef for defenders who might be blocking more shots
• Step Steel Blades – CCM recently purchased Step, who were a premier maker of premium blades made out of strong and exotic steel blends. The AS-V Pro comes with a choice (for a cost) of any of Steps’ three available steels

• This hockey skate has very few real disadvantages. When you put every bit of technology under your companies umbrella in a skate, there are no technical shortcomings – but you have to pay a premium for the skate!

• Ultra Light – The Mach boasts an industry leading 791 gram boot weight. This thing is like a running shoe on your feet and it will feel like you were shot out of a cannon when you are accelerating!
• Powercoil Tongue – Bauer’s premier tongue, not just a piece of felt with some plastic slapped on it – this is injected with a material to improve recoil speed between your strides to get maximum power transfer
• Unibody Power Wrap – Bauer has stiffened the bottom part of the skate to work in conjunction with its power coil tongue, translating into top of the line explosiveness for you!

• If you aren’t big into forward lean and huge shin to foot angles, the Mach might not be the skate for you. This skate is designed for people who get low to the ground to create maximum force. If you want to see what I’m talking about, just watch the Youtube video of Nathan Mackinnon against a speed skater – that’s the type of guy who would be wearing these skates!

• Supportive Boot – The Ultrasonic boasts the most supportive boot in Bauer’s lineup, being stiffer than most and offering amazing energy transfer into your stride
• Four Zone Titanium Blade – Bauer’s Quad zone blade has a toe zone, transition zone, speed zone, and heel zone in order of front to back. They tailor these zones for the skates intention, and for the Ultrasonic, it is for top speed!
• Reflex Pro Tongue – Featuring inserts of various stiffness, so you can have the exact amount of resistance you like in every stride! The stiffer the insert, the more energy return you get!

• Since the Ultrasonic hockey skate is designed for flat out speed, you might miss out on a tad of maneuverability in the corners compared to a Vapor skate. However, with the speed gains you should get maybe you won’t even need to be in the corners at all!
  

• Top Notch On A Budget – The True TF9 typically comes in at 60-70% the cost of other top of the line hockey skates. You get many trickle down technologies from their top of the line Pro Custom skate in a more budget friendly skate!
• Exceptional Durability – True has one of the most durable hockey skates on the market due to a design with no weak points, as the toe and boot are one piece. They also offer an “Enhanced Impact Protection” option which includes added carbon fiber layering over the ankle plate and side of the foot, which improves protection and durability.
• Perfect Skate Alignment – True has made some innovative strides in making sure your skate does not hinder your stride in any way. They have placed the eyelets to strategically give you an optimal knee-forward position which allows for direct energy transfer between your legs and the ice with every stride. The tendon guard also gives you optimal flexibility making this one of the best skates in terms of skating alignment.

• The TF9 and its little brother the TF7 are somewhat newcomers to the skate world. These are True’s first off the shelf skates so there is a little bit of risk getting the first model. However, we are confident with all their success with the True Pro Customs that they are making another winner here.

Want to read our True Pro Customs Review? Click here to take a look!

• Flexible Fit – Bauer gives the skate the flexibility to match each individual players game and desired range of motion with its anatomical construction. This brand new technology lets you try out different degrees of flex in the tongue and tendon guard, letting you pick the exact flex that gives you the best feel and optimal tongue flexion.
• Intense Cooling – You may not think the LockFit liner would help out your game until you try it, but your foot will feel cool and dry all game with the sweat evaporating as you warm up. This really helps keeping your foot locked in and prevents it from sliding around after a few periods, letting you burn that defenseman and go bar down in the third with ease.

• The ankle is equipped with memory foam pads to create a softer feel of the foot inside the skate which form fits every single time. This is quite new to hockey skates and if you are currently using an older model this might take a few skates to get used to.

• Comfy Fit – The X-LS isn’t designed for those working to make the next best team, so comfort is of huge importance – reviews from buyers say Bauer nailed it!
• Easy To Balance On – This hockey skate is designed to be easy to skate and balance on, and Bauer has put a larger than normal Stainless Steel runner on to help out.

• Considering the price point, there are no real disadvantages. If someone buys these and decides to start playing more seriously, they should investigate the other skates in our article – This one is best for casual skates indoors or outdoors!

• Superior Quickness – I thought the SuperTacks AS3 were the lightest and fastest skate on the market, but the new JetSpeed FT4 Pro give them a run for their money. The improved blade technology and lightweight frame will improve your speed and acceleration.
• Impressive Durability – With CCM going to all these lengths to make their hockey skates lighter and faster, the LiteFrame and XS tongue combine to give it some extra protection and durability over last years JetSpeed. I also really like the polished steel blade, as they still have a really sharp feel even after a few skates.
• Lightweight Comfort – The one-piece boot make these skates amazingly light and they have a great feel on your feet right off the bat. These took almost no time to break in and the boot provides a really nice responsive flex to get the most power out of your stride.

• The TriTech tongue is a bit thicker than the previous JetSpeed model, and it took a little bit to get used to for me. That being said, it provides more protection and a tighter fit on your skate so it’s worth getting used to.

• Improved Speed- The Bauer Vapor X3.7 is a very versatile hockey skate and provides superior acceleration with its anatomical design and fit for players.
• Enhanced comfort – Bauer also made sure to include 3D Composite built to balance lateral support and forward flexibility.
• Superior Dependability – There’s not much more you ask for in this Bauer product as it covers a lot of the concerns of hockey players when looking for a protective and comfortable fitting skate.

• Although the Vapor fit may not work for all foot types, for those it does fit it’s a match made in heaven and you won’t find anything more natural.

• Improved Power Transfer – With the Ribcor finally getting CCM’s awesome one piece boot technology, you now have a fantastic, advanced frame with which all the power you put down to your foot will go to the ice, instead of being lost between multiple sections of the hockey skate
• Multi Width Build – The Ribcor was an is CCM’s best wide foot boot in our opinion, but you now have the option to order a regular or tapered width as well, opening the Ribcor hockey skate lineup up for everyone to enjoy.
• Great Foot bed Tech – CCM’s Orthorlite Ultralite molded footbed gives you the lightest and most comfortable footbed possible short of getting a fully custom set of skates

• Two Piece Tech No More – Some people may have liked the flexible, more forgiving two piece boot. Unfortunately, to take this hockey skate upmarket, that had to go but is replaced by what we think is a fantastic replacement in the CCM one piece boot.

• CCM’s FlexFrame technology was designed with top pro’s such as Sidney Crosby and Matt duch*ene to provide the best in skate feel and stability. Anyone who has seen Crosby’s edge work or duch*ene’s defense man burning speed can attest that these are two people who you want to have input on your skate design
• CCM has oncluded its TOTALDRI liner with abrasion protection as well as multi density memory foam. What does this mean for you? No blisters, and extreme comfort while still getting a top performing hockey skate. They also tossed in a felt tongue with a molded lace bite protection system to protect every part of your foot
• Extremely Lightweight – With the removal of the classic Reebok pump system, CCM has managed to shave 70 grams off of these skates (roughly 10 percent of its weight). Your legs will feel light as a feather as you wheel around the ice all game long

• Extreme Comfort – The CCM JetSpeed FT475 is a skate made for comfort featuring extra padding and additional foam inserts to keep your foot firmly locked in the boot.
• Better Performance – This skate was also designed for anyone hoping to add a little extra power in their stride, the skate is made to have an anatomical fit around your foot providing great energy transfer from your skates to the ice.
• Solid Runners – The XS Steel Runners keep an edge well, and have the Xchange System holder so you can swap blades out on a moments notice if one gets damaged

• As a budget pair, they will be a bit heavier than other skates on our list, but you can’t expect top of the line light weight materials for the bargain that these skates are!

• Increased Speed – These hockey skates features heat-moldable and high quality materials that will enhance the fit of your skate and give players increased speed and control.
• Anatomical Fit – The Rocketframe composite offers a tailored fit for every player and also helps increase the durability of the skate.
• Excellent Support- The CCM Jetspeed FT380 offers excellent support through its tongue and soft comfortable padding on the inside of the skate. Your foot and ankles will thank you after a long grueling game wearing these skates.

The Hockey skate landscape is currently dominated by a few main players, as you can see in our reviews. Bauer, CCM (Reebok), and True are currently the biggest companies in the skate market, and pour tens of thousands of dollars every year into material research and engineering in their skates. Easton once made very advanced skates and pioneered one piece skates, but Bauer purchased them several years ago and integrated their technologies into their lineup.

Bauer currently has three skate lineups. The Vapor lineup is an anatomical fit, designed to get players up on their forefoot for quick cornering and ultimate maneuverability. The line is also designed for players with a low arch. The Supreme lineup is designed with straight line speed and maximum power transfer in mind, and for players with a medium arch. The Nexus line blends the Supreme and Vapor technologies, and is built for players with high arches and wider feet.

CCM also has three distinct lineups to go head to head with Bauer. CCM’s lineups in our opinion aren’t quite as distinct as Bauer’s, sharing many technologies, but still each have their own specialty. The Jetspeed lineup boasts a one piece boot for a super lightweight skate and great power transfer. The Ribcor lineup has just been revamped for this year and we will have to wait to see some reviews before we dive into detail too much. The Super Tacks lineup is more about comfort and fit but still delivers amazing performance.

True hockey is relatively new to the skate game, but the skates they produce aren’t. They purchased VH skates, who make completely custom top of the line skates. These skates are the most expensive skates you can buy (but not by as much as you might think) and will offer the best fit you have ever experienced. Many NHL’ers are starting to embrace the true skates, one standout being Dustin Byfuglien.

Hockey skates have to be tailored to each individual player to maximize your on ice performance and we are going to help you find your pair by going into detail about some of the best hockey skates released this year. Hockey skates are one of the most important piece of equipment a player owns and there is nothing worse than having your skates hold you back. Read on for reviews that break down everything you need to know like manufacturers specs, strengths of the equipment, possible weaknesses, and overall consumer value.

We will be reviewing the best senior hockey skates from all the major brands including CCM, Bauer, and True to help you get peak performance and go bar down all the time. We will layout the skates and rank them for durability, fit, weight, and cost. These skates are all top of the line and are sure to help your game, but we need you to read through our best hockey skates of 2021 article in order to make the choice that gives the best set of skates for your game.

At the bottom of our article we have a guide on skate fitting and buying basics, you will see it right after our last skate review.

Directly below is our comparison table of all the skates we looked at. Click on the skate name to jump to the review, or click the flag to find the best price in your country!

We have talked about some of the best hockey skates on the market today, and really it’s all about finding the most comfortable fit for your game. Trust me, I have tried all the skates mentioned above and I love each and every one of them in their own way. This is the most important piece of equipment you play with and it directly impacts your ability to be effective and dominant on the ice. My personal favorite is the Bauer Vapor Hyperlite, this model is packed with new technology, and it looks amazing to boot.

If anyone has an opinion or question on any of the skates I have talked about, we’d love to hear from you.