Hockey stick size chart: the right length and flex, with a sizing calculator

Short answer: length depends on height, flex depends on weight. A 5'10" (178 cm) player takes a senior stick of about 60 inches; a 4'6" (137 cm) child, a junior of about 50 inches. Enter height and weight below: the tool gives the category, the length to cut to, the flex to buy among the ones actually sold in stores, and the real flex once the stick is cut.

The math does what the makers' calculators don't: a stick longer than needed gets cut, and cutting stiffens it. So the tool takes every 2026 Bauer stick that is long enough, cuts it to your length, and keeps the one that lands closest to your target flex.

Sticks come in five categories: Tyke, Youth, Junior, Intermediate and Senior. At Bauer, in 2026, each flex has its own length: a junior 30 is 50 inches, a junior 50 is 54. So you choose length and flex together. The lengths below are for a new, uncut stick, read off the product pages on ca.bauer.com.

Player ages, heights and weights come from Ice Warehouse's chart (and Hockey Monkey's guide for Tyke). The categories overlap: a tall, light 12-year-old can sit between two. That is why the tool above starts from height and weight, not age or hockey age groups.

The rule comes down to two landmarks, and makers and retailers agree: nose in shoes, chin in skates. Bauer runs a little shorter in skates (between the chin and the lower lip), Warrior leaves room between chin and nose. A stick's length is measured from the heel of the blade, where it touches the ice, to the end of the shaft.

For a growing child, Sherwood suggests a more generous rule: at the start of the season, cut the stick at eye level, then replace it once it is shorter than the mouth. The stick then follows the child all year. If the skate size changes mid-season, it is often time to recheck the stick too.

Between the two landmarks, it comes down to how you play. Warrior sums it up: shorter, better puck control; longer, more reach and slap shot power.

Flex measures how stiff the shaft is: the higher the number, the stiffer the stick and the harder it is to bend. The starting rule, from Sherwood and Warrior, is simple: a flex equal to half your weight in pounds. A 140 lb (64 kg) player starts at 70.

But nearly everyone then recommends going softer. Bauer advises a flex "a little less than half" your weight. Ice Warehouse writes that dropping 10 to 15 points is common practice: a 180 lb player starts at 90 and ends up around 75 or 80. Bauer's official calculator points the same way: at 5'10" and 180 lb it suggests 80; at 6' and 200 lb, 87. It never goes past 87, even at 300 lb.

Shooting style moves the player within the range. A quick wrist shooter goes toward the bottom; a player who mostly fires slap shots from the point goes toward the top. To know whether a flex change really helps, log your shots in RinkLog (on net, missed, blocked, and the shot type if you want) and compare one month with the next instead of trusting a feeling.

Cutting a stick makes it stiffer, because the shaft is shorter and bends less. An extension does the opposite: it softens it. Bauer confirms this and prints the after-cut flex scale on the shaft of most of its sticks, as do CCM and Warrior according to Hockey Monkey.

How much? The sources do not agree on one number. CCM says about 5 points per 5 cm (about 2.5 per inch), HockeyStickMan about 3 per inch, Hockey Monkey 3 to 5. Go with about 3 points per inch cut, or about 1 point per centimetre. HockeyStickMan adds that the first two inches change little, that the effect grows after that, and that it is stronger on junior and intermediate sticks than on seniors.

In practice: if you are torn between two flexes and will cut 3 or 4 inches, take the softer one. It will end up stiffer than its number. Before cutting a new stick, also read the maker's warranty terms.

The kick point is where the stick bends the most. A low kick bends near the blade: manufacturers aim it at the quick wrist shot in tight. A mid kick bends in the middle, under the bottom hand: they aim it at slap shots and shots from distance. Be careful with the promises: in a McGill University lab test, a low kick and a high kick stick produced the same puck speed. It comes down to feel and style, all detailed in our kick point guide. Hybrid sits in between, a good choice when you shoot from everywhere or don't know yet. Every brand has a family for each kick point.

The curve changes how the puck comes off the blade. A deep curve helps lift the puck and deke; a shallow one helps accuracy and passing. A heel curve favours one-timers and power, a toe curve dekes and quick shots, a mid curve does a bit of everything. An open face lifts the puck more easily, a closed face keeps shots low.

Careful: the same curve name is not identical from one brand to another. Bauer describes its P88 as open, CCM describes its own as closed. Hold the blade before you buy. Every curve's specs, the equivalents between brands and the lie are compared in diagrams in our curve guide.

For a young beginner, Bauer makes a dedicated curve, the P28Y: a long, flat blade for handling and receiving passes, with a very curved toe that helps lift the puck. In a beginner's full gear list, the stick is one of the pieces you can most easily pick yourself, with this chart.

It's the bottom hand that decides, not the writing hand. Right hand at the bottom of the shaft: right-handed stick. Left hand at the bottom: left-handed stick (Bauer). For a child just starting, two simple tests help: which side they naturally swing a baseball bat from, and which side they naturally push a puck or a tennis ball from.

It is often noticed that a person who is left-handed in daily life plays right in hockey, and the other way around. That is a tendency, not a rule: the player's comfort comes first.

In Canada, a senior stick costs from about $110 for an entry model to $460 for the top of the line. The prices below are regular prices on the Canadian official sites of Bauer and CCM. Last year's models are often on sale at 25 to 50% off, a good deal for a player who breaks sticks or grows fast.

A pricier stick does not fix a wrong length or a flex that is too stiff. For a young player, an entry stick at the right size beats a $300 stick that is too long. To put the price in perspective, see the cost of a hockey season and when it pays to invest in gear.