Equipment

Making sure your player is protected with equipment that allows movement is important when purchasing and fitting hockey equipment. Here is the complete set of hockey equipment:

Helmet with Facemask

Mouth Piece

Neck Guard

Shoulder Pads

Elbow Pads

Jersey

Gloves

Support and Cup

Hockey Pants

Shin Guards

Hockey Socks

Skates

Stick

Properly fitting equipment is very important both for player protection and comfort. Many online Hockey Equipment retailers offer sizing guides that provide an easy way to measure your player for equipment. Some general rules of thumb are explained below.

Helmet with Facemask - Most helmet brands are sized small, medium, large, etc. They offer sizing charts based on the circumference of the players head measured just above the eyebrow.

Mouth Piece - Normally sized as Youth or Adult, mouth guards are available in numerous varieties and prices. Many mouth guards allow for custom fitting the piece to the players mouth by boiling or other methods.

Neck Guard - Neck Guards are sized in many different ways depending on the manufacturer. Some are Junior and Senior, some are small-medium-large-etc, while others are sized according to the circumference of the neck. Good news is most neck guards allow for custom fit as they velcro around the neck. There are also some undershirts that have the neck guard built into the shirt. Beginning in 2024 neck laceration protection is required by USA Hockey.

Shoulder Pads - Shoulder pads are categorized as Youth, Junior, and Senior and then sized in each category as Small, Medium, Large etc. The sizing guides will help you determine the correct size normally based upon the player's height.

Elbow Pads - Elbow pads follow the same sizing as the Shoulder Pads, but sometimes may include a weight measure to compliment the height measure for better fit.

Jersey - Fitting your player for a jersey doesn't have to be complicated, and having the player try one on is the best method. You can also ask other parents or coaches. For those interested in specifics, jersey sizing is normally done using 3 measures of the actual jersey dimensions; Arm Length, Chest Width, and Jersey Length.  

Gloves - Hockey gloves are unique in their sizing as they are normally sized using an inches measurement (ie. 12 inch Glove). To fit your player for gloves measure the players arm from the base of the fingers to the elbow. This measurement will equate to the glove size required.

Support and Cup - These sizes vary between brands so you should check out the manufacturer's sizing recommendations.

Hockey Pants - Hockey pants are normally sized in the same manner as Shoulder Pads with Youth, Junior, and Senior categories and Small, Medium, Large sizing which can be determined by player height.

Shin Guards - Shin guards are sized in inches (ie. 11 inch Shin Guard). Since shin guards can be worn in 2 different ways, there are two slightly different measurements methods. The shin guard can be worn over top of the tongue of the skate or tucked in behind the tongue of the skate. If the player wears the shin guard over top of the skate then the measurement should be taken from center of Knee cap to the ankle. If the player tucks the shin guard in behind the tongue of the skate then the measurement should be taken from the center of the knee cap to the top of the skate boot.  

Hockey Socks - Hockey socks are worn over top of the shin guards and come in three main sizes; Youth, Junior, and Adult/Senior. Its important to understand that the hockey socks must be secured at the top (thigh) either using tape, a garter, or specialized support/cup shorts with velcro tabs that hold the socks in place. The latter is the most user friendly and inexpensive since you won't have to continue to purchase tape.

Skates - The rule of thumb for skate sizing is 1 to 1.5 sizes smaller than the players normal shoe size. With children it is sometimes recommended to go over by a half size for growth. The best bet for sizing skates is to actually have the player try the skate on in the hockey shop if possible. This allows for precise fit which is very important. Additionally some skates are heat moldable and purchasing in the Hockey store will allow this custom fitting. This is sometimes called "Baking" skates and consists of heating the skates up to a certain temperature using a special skate oven then having the player put the skates on, laced tightly, and sit with them on while they cool. This helps shape the skate to the players foot and quickens the breakin process.

Stick - The first determination in fitting a stick for a player is to determine right or left hand. The right/left determines the direction of the curve of the blade. With youth players it is often recommended to start with a straight blade stick until they've naturally chosen left or right. The next step to fitting a stick is to determine stick length. While there is no magic number to exactly fit a stick for each player the rule of thumb states that the stick should rest with toe on floor and come up to the players nose if in shoes or chin if in skates. Some players prefer longer sticks to provide more reach while others prefer shorter sticks for better puck handling in close to the feet.