As a teenager, Charlie McAvoy used 100 flex on his right-shot sticks for one reason: Charlie McAvoy Sr. had a limit to how much he cared to spend.
“When I got to senior sticks,” the younger McAvoy recalled with a smile, “he would get me 100 flex sticks so I wouldn’t break them. So that was all I really knew: a really stiff stick. I got used to that. I developed with that and was a good hockey player with that. So I just stayed there until someone was like, ‘You use 100? You should go down.’”
Ten years later, both as a Boston Bruins defenseman and Bauer representative, McAvoy can have as many sticks as he wants. He is not satisfied with just any model. McAvoy’s Bauer Proto-R sticks are customized to suit his responsibilities as a two-way defender.
McAvoy is not alone.
NHLers design their sticks according to their job descriptions. The stick that works for McAvoy, for example, would not be optimized for a penalty-killing wing.
To prove this point, here are six NHLers with varying roles. Their stick selection, with guidance from GearGeek, is equally divergent.
Like McAvoy, the other players earn individual endorsements from manufacturers, which can influence how they perceive their sticks. To avoid bland endorsements, in asking for the players’ preferences, The Athletic focused on specifics about differences between the brands — and customizations available within brands, like flex, kick point, length and blade width.
Some bias is unavoidable, though NHL players tend to put performance first when it comes to their equipment. The Seattle Kraken’s Joey Daccord, one of the NHL’s sharpest puck-handling goalies, uses a Warrior stick. But he also uses True pads, a True glove and a Bauer blocker.
“I’m pretty close with Cory Schneider,” Daccord said of the former NHL goalie. “He always said, ‘You’re going to make a lot more money stopping pucks than getting an endorsement deal from a goalie company.’ He wore different pads and different glove and blocker throughout his career. I just try to go with what works best for me.”
Answers have been condensed for clarity.
Garnet Hathaway, energy wing and penalty killer
Bauer Nexus Tracer, 95 flex
The Philadelphia Flyers veteran formerly used CCM. This summer, he switched to Bauer.
“I used a really old stick with CCM. They stopped making the model I had because it was so old. I think I had it from the 2015-16 season. So they stopped making it, and the one I used last year, it wasn’t the same. So I started looking around for a stick that worked better for me.”
Part of Hathaway’s job is pulling pucks off the boards and getting them out of the defensive zone. As such, Hathaway likes a three-inch-tall blade.
“I don’t know why everyone doesn’t use it. There’s probably some benefits and downfalls to it. A big part of my game is consistency with wall battles — getting the puck out of my zone, getting the puck into the other team’s zone, knocking down passes, getting my stick in the lane. Just the tiny little details that might make the puck go the other way or stay out of your zone for a little bit longer. Then in front, you have a little more height on your blade to tip pucks. There’s a lot of really skilled guys in this league. When we’re looking at that spectrum of the level, guys might like a smaller blade and quickness of stickhandling. But I found with the max height, I switched over a while ago and it gives you a bigger paddle to catch passes.”
Hathaway does not keep a regular schedule on when he swaps sticks. That comes when he feels the older one losing juice.
“I usually wear it down to the bone. Sticks tend to lose their pop a little bit. I’m using one now that I’ve used for a long time in pregame skate. The blade feels a little weak. I’ll probably cut a stick for the game and use it in warmups. If I like that, then I’ll go with that. But I have a couple. I have two or three ones taped up that have gone through the rotation. Sometimes I’ll instantly like it. Some days, it’ll become my set backup that I’ll use for practice.”
Hathaway grew up using wood Sherwood sticks. He didn’t have to pay for them, but in return he was expected to help at the Maine restaurant his family once owned.
“Those Sherwoods were my childhood. I remember getting my first composite stick, an Easton Z-Bubble Grip two-piece with a wooden blade at the end. That was a big step. I don’t think my parents ever invoiced me for it. But I like to think that I did my chores and helped. I had a family restaurant growing up. Maybe that’s where it comes back.”
Garnet Hathaway wraps up Conor Garland with his Bauer stick. (Kyle Ross / USA Today)
Wyatt Johnston, playmaking and shooting center
Bauer Proto-R, 77 flex
Johnston, the Dallas Stars’ first-round pick in 2021, has used his Bauer since his first season pro in 2022-23.
“The weight of it. Really light. I like the feel of it. Liked the way the puck felt on my stick with it. The weight, balance, just the feeling of it. Every stick feels different. Part of it is getting used to it. Really comfortable with it from using it for a while. The flex feels pretty good for pretty much everything. So it’s good for a lot of snap shots and quick-release stuff. That’s pretty much what all my shots are. I’m not really taking any slap shots, not too many one-timers.”
Johnston was a go-to scorer for the Windsor Spitfires. It’s where he dialed himself into his current setup.
“I had the flex and the curve set in junior. Then it was trying some different flex points. I’m a low kick. Just like the way my snap shot feels with it. It loads better. I feel like I can use the flex better for my snap shots. Whereas a different kick I find doesn’t load better for the way I shoot and what kind of shots I’m doing more often than not.”
Part of Johnston’s job is to distribute the puck. With his stick, he prioritizes a balance between accurate shooting and clean puckhandling.
“You only get a couple opportunities a game to shoot. But I find shooting is probably one of the bigger things I find is different, just the way the release is and the way I feel the stick. I think it’s probably 50-50, because stickhandling is so important, being able to make plays, being comfortable with it.”
Johnston estimated he used about 60 sticks in 2023-24. It is a wild number to consider when recalling how few sticks he used until he reached Windsor.
“My parents wanted them to last as long as they possibly could. I wasn’t getting a new stick until it broke. They weren’t happy about me breaking sticks. When you’re younger, you can keep a stick for a full year. So pretty spoiled. It’s pretty cool. It’s fun to be able to get whatever you want, customize it however you want. It’s pretty fun. Pretty lucky you’re able to get as many sticks as you can.”
Wyatt Johnston broke out with 32 goals and 65 points last season. (Codie McLachlan / Getty Images)
Charlie McAvoy, all-around defenseman
Bauer Proto-R, 87 flex
The Bruins want McAvoy to shoot. But his priority is handling the puck.
“I need to feel the puck. There’s some sticks, whether it was Bauer or CCM, different models and different patterns, where I could shoot the puck harder. I could feel it. It comes off the stick quicker. But I couldn’t even stickhandle. I couldn’t handle the puck. I’m like, ‘This thing feels like a rifle. I can’t handle it.’ You have to find the combination of what feels good to you. But my biggest thing has always been handling the puck. If you think about it, in the aspect of a game, you want to feel very comfortable with your shot. But I handle the puck all game. I might end the game with zero shots. Or I might have five or 10, depending on the night. But shooting is such a small fraction of touching the puck every time you’re out on the ice. I feel like not many shifts go by where you’re not touching the puck. So you have to have handle. You have to have control and feel. That’s the most important thing to me.”
Some players are quick to change sticks, especially when they’re slumping. Not McAvoy.
“I always come back to where I am. There’s a lot of other guys that will try a new pattern, new flex, new everything. When they’re down, they just change it up. They’ll try it out and maybe it works. But it’s hard. It’s hard for me to change. Last year was the first time I used 87. It was pretty hard. I spent the majority of the summer trying to get used to it to where I finally felt good. The ease with which you do everything is definitely easier. The stick works for you more. Instead of having to put your whole body weight behind a 95 or 100, you can kind of flick an 87, and it’s going to go more. Because it works easier.”
NHL custom sticks are handmade. So there will be variances. McAvoy can feel them.
“The weights are the biggest thing. They’re always off. They’re always different. You’re never going to have them be uniform. If they’re supposed to be one pound, sometimes it’ll be 0.95 or 1.1. You’ll feel it be a little bit heavier or lighter. I’ll feel that sometimes. That’s just the human error of it.”
At best, a stick will last three games for McAvoy. That does not happen often.
“I use a lot of sticks. I’ll try and stretch one out anywhere from one to three games. Then I’ll get a new one. Three is the limit. It’s whipped out.”
Charlie McAvoy says three games is his max for using a stick. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
CCM Tacks XF Pro, 100 flex
The two-time 40-goal scorer is a grip-and-rip shooter. He’s used CCM for the past eight years, back to his OHL days. So Robertson sees no reason to change. On the spectrum of stick awareness, from geek to casual user, Robertson is squarely in the latter camp.
“That’s me. Just give me the stick. I haven’t changed anything. The only thing they change is the material and the graphics. But I haven’t changed anything in eight, nine years. I know my flex. That’s about it. Because it says it on it. It comes stock, so I don’t have to cut it or anything. Good to go.”
As for the reason he won’t change, Robertson has a simple answer: It works.
“I like not having any doubt. With having the same thing, there’s no doubt. It’s good. So keep doing it. I’m not one for changing stuff, changing specs. Doesn’t mean I won’t ever do it. But right now, I’m just comfortable with what I’ve been using.”
Jason Robertson shoots with his CCM stick as Charlie McAvoy defends with his Bauer. (Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
Kevin Rooney, bottom-six center and penalty killer
Warrior Alpha LX2 Pro, 85 flex
Rooney is not new to Warrior. He tried the sticks with the New Jersey Devils. After an injury, Rooney went back to CCM while with the Calgary Flames. This past summer, Rooney returned to Warrior.
“I just felt my CCM was breaking too much in the D-zone on faceoffs. I was being left out there without a stick. It was kind of costly. So I went to the Warrior. It’s happened to me once this year. But it’s only happened once. I’ve only broken one stick. I feel like they’re more durable. I liked the CCM stick. I love the feel of it, playing with the puck. But my role is more faceoffs, being stiff on your stick, being hard on your stick. I feel like it just made more sense. If I was going to go play pond hockey, I’d take the CCM back. But I like how durable the Warrior is.”
To optimize his stick for defensive-zone faceoffs, Rooney uses the three-inch-tall maximum height on his blade.
“I use the heightened blade, the thickest blade you can have, just for being able to knock pucks down, faceoffs, all those things.”
Rooney can use as many sticks as he wants. That was not always the case.
“My dad would always get us one or two sticks a season. You just hope it lasts you all season. The back of my skate came off one year. I just didn’t want to tell my dad I needed new skates. So I played the whole season without the guard that protects your Achilles.”
Kevin Rooney fends off Simon Edvinsson while using his Warrior stick to control the puck. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Warrior Novium Pro, 105 flex
Zadorov has used Warrior for the last three or four seasons. He does not pull his punches when explaining why he switched from Bauer.
“When I was in Chicago, I didn’t like the Bauer sticks. I switched to Warrior. I like it a lot. They were just not fitting me. I had a wrist injury. I had a surgery to repair my whole wrist. I was kind of adjusting. It changed my shooting angle and stickhandling. I just didn’t feel like the Bauer stick fitted me well.”
The defenseman started with a P92. He is now using a Nikita Kucherov curve.
“It’s higher. It’s maximum height so the puck doesn’t bounce over. I’m not as skilled as him. I think Kucherov, (Erik) Karlsson, (Oliver) Ekman-Larsson use that curve. In the bubble, I tried Jamie Benn’s curve. It has the low toe. It’s like a P92 but it has no extension toe at the end. I tried it for one year. I didn’t really like it. So I went back to the curve I’ve been using for the last four years.”
Zadorov is 6-foot-6 and 248 pounds. His stick is relatively light for his size.
“I don’t like hard sticks. You just don’t have time to shoot slap shots in the game, right? Because the game is so fast. They’re getting close. My wrist shot is hard enough to get it through and score a goal. I like it when it’s whippy a little for the wrist shot.”
Defense is Zadorov’s first job. But instead of using a long shaft for stick-on-puck maneuvers and disrupting lanes, Zadorov prefers shorter length to optimize his touches.
“I prioritize stickhandling and skill. I’ve still got long (arms) and I’m a good skater. I can get into the plays and close plays quickly. So I don’t really need a super, super long stick like (Zdeno Chara) had. My stick is short for me. (Brandon) Carlo, (Mason) Lohrei, they’re shorter than me but their sticks are longer. So I use a pretty short stick for myself.”
Zadorov uses a new stick every game.
“Eighty-two games, 82 sticks. They’re getting too whippy. So when I go through once in a game — battles, stickhandling, shooting, everything — it gets too whippy for me.”
Zadorov’s father bought sticks for his son. Zadorov does not know how it could have been otherwise.
“How would I pay if I were a kid? How much was a stick, $200? You’ve got to walk a lot of dogs to earn that.”
That said, Zadorov purchased one stick per season. It was his job to make it last.
“My dad would make me tape extra and make sure it doesn’t break. When I started, there was extenders. You have a curve and you have a shaft. You put them together. So the curve would break. But you’d still keep the shaft and put on a new curve. So it’s cheaper, actually.”
Nikita Zadorov defends Ivan Ivan with his Warrior stick. (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
(Illustration: Meech Robinson / The Athletic. Photos: Minas Panagiotakis, Carmen Mandato, Maddie Meyer and Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
