To help you decide on the best hockey stick – whether you’re looking for the best hockey sticks for forwards, the best hockey sticks for defensemen, or trying to find the ideal field hockey stick for beginners or youth – we’ve done the research and testing to narrow down the field and highlight some of the best performers. We considered lightness, flex and puck release, as well as the size and angle of the blade, and for street hockey sticks we also considered durability and scuff resistance.
Our top pick is the Franklin Sports NHL SX Comp 1010 Street Tech Hockey Stick. A no-frills, highly durable stick with a replaceable high impact polymer head and multi-ply poplar and birch wood shaft, it stands up to abuse while remaining light enough for youth and beginners to use comfortably. Keep reading to learn more about other high-end hockey sticks available for purchase.
Top 7 Best Hockey Sticks
#1 Franklin Sports NHL SX Comp 1010 Street Tech Hockey Stick
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: The best street hockey stick on our list and also a good pick if you’re looking for the best beginner hockey stick, this lightweight model has a strong, replaceable polymer head and a drilled blade for easier shooting.
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- Best for beginners
- Lightweight birch and poplar wood shaft
- Available in left and right handed
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- Blade not adjustable
- Limited size range makes it less ideal for very tall people
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This NHL branded and licensed hockey stick is a basic but very durable and cost effective piece of equipment. If you’re a hockey player, you need to add this stick to your sports equipment. With a lightweight but sturdy birchwood and poplar handle and a replaceable high-impact polymer blade, it stands up to the abuse of field and street hockey seasons, and it’s easy for kids to pick up, making it a good choice if you’re looking for the best hockey stick for beginners.
The blade comes with a well-shaped curve and features holes that improve airflow for a cleaner, more powerful shot. It’s also replaceable, adding value considering the inevitable scuffing and accelerated wear that street hockey causes.
#2 STX Ice Hockey Surgeon RX3.2 Hockey Stick
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: A one-piece stick with a unique ergonomic handle design that makes it easier to maintain grip, this is another one of the best ice hockey sticks for beginners and intermediates.
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- Resin-coated blade for increased durability
- Dual kick point optimizes load transfer
- Shaft design allows for excellent control
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- Not the lightest stick on the market
- Fixed angle blade due to single piece design
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This stick is primarily designed for use on ice; its resin-coated blade optimizes friction and helps increase durability, while its ergonomically-designed shaft provides a larger contact patch with the player’s hands, helping boost fine control especially when wearing gloves. These features, along with its versatile kick and good release, make it one of the best ice hockey sticks at its price point.
Thanks to the ease of control this stick affords, it’s a good choice if you’re looking for the best ice hockey stick for beginners. While the lie angle of the blade is fixed, due to the one-piece design, the blade has an effective shape that balances power delivery with puck control. And speaking of control, to better improve your game, you should check out our guide on the best weight lifting hooks, as it will help you improve your game all around.
#3 Mylec Senior Total Hockey Stick
Award: BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: This 58” hockey stick performed well in tests of durability on pavement and concrete, withstanding slap shots and wearing evenly, equally excelling with ice hockey or roller sports, which makes it a great value.
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- Long-wearing ABS plastic blade
- Tall enough for players over 5’8”
- Available in left and right orientations
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- Not the lightest stick for ice hockey
- Relatively little flex compared to composite hockey sticks
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While it may lack the fancy adjustability and tapered flex of the high-end composite and carbon fiber ice hockey sticks on the market, this sturdy 58” stick is well suited for street hockey use and is one of the best all-around choices for roller hockey, especially if you’re taller than about 5’8.” Less expensive and less prone to chipping than carbon fiber hockey sticks, this wood and polymer stick is a good year-round value for those who play on the ice as well as on the street.
The handle is made of wood with a clear polymer coating, and its weight is reasonable though not as light as the more expensive carbon fiber and composite ice hockey sticks. The blade is ABS plastic, with a molded design and a fixed lie angle that most beginner and intermediate players will find comfortable. If you need to prepare for the upcoming season, you’ll want to check out our guide on the best dip belt.
#4 Arsenal Envy Carbon Fiber Ice Hockey Stick (Right)
Award: BEST INTERMEDIATE
WHY WE LIKE IT: Quality-tested and made from high performance carbon fiber, this well-balanced and lightweight stick is one of the best ice hockey sticks for intramural leagues, club hockey and frozen pond games.
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- 75 flex shaft with good energy release
- A92 pattern curve gives a broad sweet spot and good control
- Grip pattern on handle for fine control
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- Wears out more quickly than plastic blades
- Limited flex and lie angle options
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This one-piece carbon fiber ice hockey stick is reasonably priced and yet comes with a few distinctly higher end features. Its multi-composite shaft has a well-placed kick point for good energy transfer and a faster puck release. Its weight is carefully balanced, with an optimized ratio of blade to handle weight, giving you better control, and making it one of the best hockey sticks for forwards.
As with most composite hockey sticks, it’s best suited for use on ice since uneven pavement and hard roller rink surfaces will tend to scuff the blade and cause accelerated wear. That said, this is a great choice if you’re looking for a light, versatile hockey stick for club games at your local ice rink or casual pick up games at a frozen pond. If you’re keeping in shape in the offseason, you can’t go without one of the best weight lifting gloves to protect your hands.
#5 MALIK 37.5 Inch Field Hockey Stick
Award: BEST FOR GRASS
WHY WE LIKE IT: This carbon composite stick has an ergonomic oval handle to optimize grip and a J-curve head for precise dribbling, plus it weighs under 550 grams, making it a perfect choice for intermediate or advanced players.
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- Well balanced for quick dribbling
- Powerful enough for midfielders
- Very secure grip
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- Not the cheapest field hockey stick
- Glazed composite finish may chip more easily than painted wood field hockey sticks
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This advanced field hockey stick benefits from balanced weight distribution and a well-shaped head, making it great for intermediate to advanced field hockey players. Powerful and reasonably light, weighing just 540 grams, this stick is designed mainly for outdoor use, but it performs well on most common field hockey surfaces.
It’s made of 50% carbon and 45 % glass fiber along with 5 % aramid fibers for extra strength and resilience. This ratio gives it a moderate amount of flex along with powerful hitting ability. The choice of many colleges and some professional field hockey players, it’s often recommended for varsity level midfielders. If you want a sport to play in the Spring, start with one of the best baseball gloves.
#6 Arsenal Envy Carbon Fiber Ice Hockey Stick
Award: BEST FOR LEFT-HANDED
WHY WE LIKE IT: This left-handed version of the Arsenal composite hockey stick has the same quality-tested high performance carbon fiber construction. It’s a well-balanced and lightweight yet inexpensive stick and one of the best ice hockey sticks for left-handed intramural league and club hockey players.
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- Moderate stiffness with good energy release
- A92 pattern curve affords great puck control
- Optimized left-handed pattern on handle for fine control
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- More scuff-prone than plastic blades
- Limited flex and lie angle options
- Some players may find it too light
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This left-handed carbon fiber ice hockey stick is reasonably priced and yet comes with a few distinctly higher end features. It has a well-placed kick point for good energy transfer and a faster puck release. A relatively lightweight stick, it nevertheless is decently powerful and easy to control, with an optimized ratio of blade to handle weight, making it one of the best left handed hockey sticks for forwards.
As with most composite hockey sticks, it’s best suited for use on ice since uneven pavement and hard roller rink surfaces will tend to scuff the blade and cause accelerated wear, especially with how light it is. That said, this is a great choice if you’re looking for a versatile left-handed hockey stick for club games at your local ice rink or casual pick up games at a frozen pond.
#7 Bauer Supreme Force Griptac Senior Hockey Stick
We’re sorry, this product is temporarily out of stock
Award: BEST COMPOSITE
WHY WE LIKE IT: This advanced and well designed composite hockey stick includes an inter-laminar layer that absorbs energy, plus Bauer’s “Aero-Sense” blade technology designed to improve feel and directional control.
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- Aero-Sense grooved blade for excellent puck feel
- Elastic resin coated for excellent gloved grip
- Carbon-nanotube reinforced for better power
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- More prone to chipping than plastic-bladed hockey sticks
- May not be best for beginners
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Combining many of the innovations from Bauer’s Vapor line of carbon composite hockey sticks, this model utilizes advanced carbon layering and carbon-nanotube infused structure that preserves just the right amount of elasticity while providing increased strength and resistance, letting you take harder shots without compromising agility or puck control.
An inter-laminar layer absorbs energy and helps with quick puck release. This blade also benefits from Bauer’s Aero-Sense blade technology, which adds a linear texture to the edge of the blade, helping deliver more precise puck feel. Reasonably priced for what you get, it’s an easy recommendation for intermediate and club-level ice hockey players.
How We Decided
In order to select the best hockey sticks for our list, we chose from among a variety of different types including the best-performing beginner and youth hockey sticks, the best hockey sticks for roller and street hockey, and the best lightweight hockey sticks for use on ice. We also threw in our choice among the best field hockey sticks we’ve seen.
For youth hockey sticks, we required durable materials such as painted, laminated wood, ABS plastic, and reinforced carbon-fiber. We also looked for those that were versatile enough to be good for different positions and for different playing stances. That meant medium flex of between 45 and 85 and a lie angle of around 5.5.
In choosing the best street hockey stick we prioritized durability and low cost, requiring a scuff-resistant blade and a higher level of impact resistance than is usually needed for ice hockey sticks. This meant we emphasized wood sticks that held up to snapshots well and had a good overall performance.
For the best ice hockey sticks for forwards and the best hockey sticks overall, we looked at weight balance, blade curves, flex, grip, and puck release for wrist shots. We insisted on a near-optimal handle to blade weight ratio of around 45/55, plus an optimized kick point and good energy absorption. We also prioritized weight, looking for high-quality sticks that weighed 550 grams or less.
Best Hockey Stick Buyer’s Guide
Features to Consider
- Height
If you’re looking for the best youth hockey stick, the first thing to consider is how tall the stick should be. Most hockey stick companies including Pure Hockey and Hoapa have charts for youth players since the right size depends not only on your height but on your preferred playing stance. - Flex
More flex allows for a faster puck release but a stiffer hockey stick will afford more control, so, therefore, it’s important to select the right flex for the job. This is especially a consideration when looking into sticks for specialized positions, as the best stick for forwards might not be the best for defenders. - Grip
The best hockey sticks should all have a comfortable, secure grip. For ice hockey, how the stick handles when used with full gear is important, and so the stick’s grip should be designed with optimal ergonomic contours for use with gloved hands. - Lie Angle
This refers to the angle between the blade and the stick when viewed in a vertical plane. The most common angles are often described by a number system, where 4, 5, and 6 mean the blade is at a 137, 135 and 133º angle from the shaft, respectively. - Construction
Carbon fiber and composite hockey sticks are lighter and tend to have better energy transfer and flex properties, while wood, metal and plastic hockey sticks are usually less expensive and less prone to chipping or scuffs, making these old-school hockey sticks often preferable for street and roller hockey as well as being, in general, the best hockey sticks for beginners.
