🏒 Stick helper

The rules it uses

• Length: standing in skates with the toe of the blade on the floor, the butt of the stick reaches between your chin and nose. In shoes, that is roughly chin to nose plus an inch or two, because skates add height. Shorter helps puck handling and a quick release; longer helps reach and poke-checks.
• Flex: the number is the pounds of force needed to bend the shaft one inch. The traditional starting point is about half your body weight in pounds — but on modern composites that tends to run stiff, especially for lighter and newer players, so we suggest a range that starts below it.
• Cutting the stick stiffens it by roughly 3–5 flex points per inch removed. If you plan to cut a lot off, start softer.
• Junior and intermediate sticks come in softer flexes and shorter lengths — for a smaller player those are the right product, not a compromise.

These are fitting rules of thumb from manufacturers' own guidance, not laws. Flex numbers are not standardised between brands: an 85 in one line can feel like a 75 in another. If you can, borrow a team-mate's stick for a warm-up before you buy.