Cutting a Stick

Stick length is personal preference depending on the player. Some guys like their sticks excessively long, whereas other perfer the tiniest little twig they can find. The old adage is defenseman want long sticks for reach, and forwards want short sticks to control the puck better. These days the general consensus for stick length is as high as between your nose and your eyes when in shoes, and between your chin and mouth when in skates. But like I said, it's personal preference.

I prefer my stick to be at the top of my eyes when in shoes. I highly suggest you try different lengths of sticks to figure out what you like. It took me about 2 years to really find out the length I like. I have quite the collection of wood sticks, as you might have guessed.

Unless you're a pro player getting customized sticks, or that guy who happens to buy a stick with the perfect length, you're probably going to need to cut down the length of the stick you buy at the store. Even manufacturers make different stick lengths depending on the model. Cutting a stick if very simple though, but there are a few things to consider.


First, here you can see a brand new Easton Stealth S19 stick I bought. I'll post up a review later (it's sweet). It's a composite stick, but cutting a wood one is done using the same process.


Here's a side-by-side look at the new S19 with an existing S3 that I have cut down to size. Notice the S3 is about my eye level as I attempt to stand up straight, just the place I like it.


Now an interesting thing about the S19 is that it lists the flex rating depending on where you cut it. I bought a stick with an 85 flex, specifically because I knew I was going to cut it. When you cut a stick shorter it increases the flex rating, as a short stick is more stiff. You can see that it's going to be just under 85 flex once I match the length of the S3.

If you're not familiar with composite sticks, then you probably have no idea what the hell I'm even talking about in regards to flex. The flex rating is determined by how much force is required to bend the stick. The higher the flex rating, the more force you need since it's stiffer. Pretty simple too, right?


To actually cut it, I head on down to the dungeon, aka the basement. Here's where not everyone will probably be able to cut their own stick. Obviously you need something to cut your stick. I don't have a power saw, and do it really old school with a hand saw. This is an intense process and you need something to hold it down tightly, so I put it into a vice grip and cinch it down. Once that's done, it's time to get to work!


Here's a final photo with the butt end of the stick cut off. Now the stick is all set and at a perfect length! All that's left is to go out and shoot some pucks.