Spokane jr Chiefs | New to hockey
Equipment
- Skates
- HECC approved hockey helmet and face cage
- Shoulder pads
- Elbow pads
- Hockey gloves
- Athletic cup
- Hockey pants with either belt or suspenders
- Shin guards
- Socks & Garter belt
- Mouthguard
- Neck guard
- Hockey Stick & Backup Stick
Lets start with gear for your player!
This Gear Check List is a standard youth hockey equipment guide. No matter what youth league your child plays in, they will need each piece of equipment shown in the photo above. This ensures that they will be as safe as possible while on the ice, as this equipment protects your child from falls, errant sticks, and so on.
Starting from the top, the helmet is essential to any hockey player, regardless of age. The helmet protects one's head against sticks, pucks, and hits from other players. All helmets come with a HECC sticker located on the back that ensures that the helmet is not expired and is designed by the manufacturer with no modifications. Another piece of equipment that is required for youth hockey players, and is recommended to players of all ages, is a mouthguard. This will help protect your child's teeth and jaw upon impact, but more importantly, will help reduce the risk of head and brain injuries. The neck guard has a similar function to these two pieces of equipment. While the neck guard becomes optional after high school hockey, anything prior to that age requires one. Neck guards help protect against any sort of cuts that can potentially happen during gameplay. They also help protect players from the impact of items like an errant stick or helmet.
Moving down to the torso and arms, your child will need two key pieces of gear: a set of shoulder pads and a set of elbow pads. Shoulder pads are important for a variety of reasons. As your child ages, they will move through the ranks of youth hockey until they reach the age where hitting becomes a routine part of the game. A sturdy set of shoulder pads will greatly benefit them when that time comes. They will also protect your child against a multitude of other things, such as sticks and pucks from deflections or shots. Elbow pads are essential, too. They protect mostly against sticks, as they can sometimes get hooked around the arms. They can also be very helpful when falling. When young players fall, it is typical for them to want to break their fall using their elbows. Because of this, having a well-made set of elbow pads will be very beneficial. This gear can be covered by a jersey, which will help keep everything fastened.
Hockey gloves are also imperative for any hockey player, as they have a multitude of benefits. They give the player great protection against stick checks from other players, protection against the puck from shots, and protection from contact against the boards.
Next, one of the most important pieces of equipment is the jock. On all compression-style jocks, there is an interior compartment where a cup goes, which is essential, as it protects against all types of contact. They also hold up the player's socks, thanks to the Velcro tabs. Simply attach their tab to the tabs that are on the insides of all modern mesh socks and they should be good to go!
Moving on to leg protection, every hockey player will want a set of shin guards. Shin guards will help protect your child's lower legs and knees against shots and falls. You will also want to provide your child with a pair of hockey socks to cover the shin guards. It is recommended that they wear mesh socks over knit socks, as they are more breathable, more cut-resistant, and have Velcro tabs at the top that attach to the Velcro tabs on the jock. Accompanied by the shin guards are the hockey pants. Hockey pants are essentially extra padded "shorts" that fully protect a player's thighs against stick checks and shots. Hockey pants will also protect the lower back from extra stick whacks. It is important to get your child a properly fitted pair of pants to ensure that they are not sagging down or too small, which would leave the bottom of the thigh exposed.
FAQ's
To name a few guys using CCM products, 3-time Stanley Cup Champion Sidney Crosby sports a full gear set up from CCM. The young generational talent, Connor McDavid, is also affiliated with CCM. Alex Ovechkin, the guy with nearly 650 career goals, is another superstar among many who are currently affiliated with the brand. Bauer has a few guys of their own who you have probably heard of, as well. To start, the youngster Auston Matthews, one of the best young players in the NHL right now, wears a full Bauer gear set up. Prior to Matthews, Jack Eichel was drafted, and he is a young emerging superstar as well. Eichel is another ambassador for Bauer and serves as the "face" of the Supreme 2S Pro Hockey Stick. There are a number of elite veterans in full Bauer set ups as well, such as Patrick Kane and Claude Giroux, for example.
The general rule of thumb for youth skates is to go down one size from your shoe size. For example, if they wear a size 6 shoe, they will likely want to start with a size 5 skate. The sizing charts on HockeyMonkey.com are a great reference point.
Going this route is never recommended for skates. No matter what age, skates that are too big will affect everything they do on the ice. Skates that are too big will inhibit skating ability and the ability to improve, which is vital at a young age. There is the risk for potential injury, as well.
As per USA Hockey rules, youth players will need an approved helmet with a mask, mouthguard, neckguard, shoulder pads, elbow pads, athletic cup, pants, gloves, shin guards, skates, and a stick.
Helmet: While on, place your hands on the top and see how much the helmet moves. You do not want it to shake or wobble around much on your child's head, but you also don't want it too tight. Elbow pads: While fastened on the arm, there should be no slippage of the elbow pads, but they should not be too tight, either. Shoulder pads: You will want to make sure they fit snug against your child's body while fastened.
There are many different curve options, each with certain advantages. The P92 curve is the most popular and a good option to start with. It helps players excel in puck control, quick shot release, and lifting their shots. The P88 is also a very popular curve. This one will help them with stick handling, wrist shots, and precision passing.
All base layers, jock, jersey, pants, inner liner of shin guards (if removeable), shoulder and elbow pads, and gloves can all be washed in a washing machine. If you choose to do this, make sure that you are using warm water, regular detergent (no bleach), and use the gentle cycle setting. Also, be sure to fasten all Velcro straps to ensure that they don't get damaged. Following the wash, you can either air dry the equipment or put it in the dryer on the low setting.
Hockey Equipment should be stored in a cool, open area whenever possible. You will not want to let it sit in your bag until the next time you need to use it. You can take it out of your bag and lay it out on the ground to air dry or place each piece of gear on an equipment drying rack.
Wear base layers. Base layers are a form fitting upper body shirt, compression pants, and a pair of socks. By wearing these layers, not only will it help wick away sweat and moisture, but it will also serve as a shield between the body and the equipment so that the body does not have direct contact with it. Removing the skate soles is also recommended. Doing so allows skates to air out and eliminates the opportunity for rust to form. Additionally, before placing the gear to air dry, you can use a few sprays of a gear deodorizer spray on each piece of gear. Deodorizer spray helps neutralize, destroy, and deodorize any odors.