Expensive sticks for mites

[Guest]

Can anyone give me a reason why sticks for Mites/Squirts are $100+??? I just don't see the need to spend that kind of money at this age. I'd love to hear suggestions on sticks and places to get them (if allowed). I'm mostly talking for my Mite kid.

[Guest]

I’d also like people’s opinions on skates at these ages.  Do expensive skates make a difference at these ages?

[Guest]

If any parents are buying their kids top end skates and sticks at mite I'd say they already determined their kid is going to the NHL. It's a status situation not an actual need. Kids can't shoot more than flip shots at mite and any skate is fine. Buy the cheapest available to you. Your kid is most likely going to want to try goalie anyway so don't buy anything expensive.

[Guest]

With regard to skates - main driver of $ is the quality and durability of the materials. Mites will grow out of skates before the materials can even begin to break down.  Buy your mite top of the line skates and you’re only doing a huge favor to the next 2 kids you pass them down to.  On the sticks, no need for $100 sticks - especially for mites. You can get quality CCM and Bauer sticks for $40-50.

[Youth Hockey Info]

If any parents are buying their kids top end skates and sticks at mite I'd say they already determined their kid is going to the NHL. It's a status situation not an actual need. Kids can't shoot more than flip shots at mite and any skate is fine. Buy the cheapest available to you. Your kid is most likely going to want to try goalie anyway so don't buy anything expensive.

We can relate to this. Both of our boys started out with Play it again sports used equipment and sticks. We weren't sure if they'd drop hockey altogether so we played it safe. We got both our squirt and mite completely outfitted head to toe for under $200 combined. And as mentioned above, our mite decided he wanted to play goalie, which he did for 2 years. That's when we spent the money and then he decided he didn't want to play goalie anymore less than a month after we bought him all new equipment.

[Youth Hockey Info]

A very useful resource for cheap gear. Bid LOW! Just about everything is over priced to get top dollar but everyone selling want's to get rid of the gear and do accept realistic bids.

https://sidelineswap.com/shop/hockey/l30

[Guest]

My 2 cents...My 2011 used a BattleMode stick for the past 10 months. He plays A LOT. This stick held up way better than previous CCM sticks he had. The BattleMode did not splinter at the heel like his CCMs did. It was well worth the extra $30. I did hunt for deals and timed it right to get a good price. It lasted so long that it can be either passed down to his younger brother or used for street hockey now that he has hit a growth spurt.

I also pay up for good skates. I’ll buy a little big and have good experience getting more than a year out of the skates. The better quality products are worth it for us. Being able to pass things down is huge when it comes to getting the bang for the buck.

[Guest]

It would make more sense to go cheaper on the skates and have them fit properly.  Huge mistake buying skates too large for him to grow into.  For the most part you can go with cheaper equipment up until bantam when the hitting starts.  Bigger price tag does not always mean better. 

[Guest]

My son played squirt AA and pee wee AA with a wooden stick. I made him use one first year squirt.  I did buy him a composite but he went back to wood.  He liked the extra weight and said he could feel the puck better.  $30 each.

[Guest]

It would make more sense to go cheaper on the skates and have them fit properly.  Huge mistake buying skates too large for him to grow into.  For the most part you can go with cheaper equipment up until bantam when the hitting starts.  Bigger price tag does not always mean better. 

Everything except the helmet. Don't skimp on that.
It took my oldest falling down and hitting his head on the ice while standing in line at a peewee when he was wearing a cheap helmet to learn that.  Never bought anything but the best after that... and never had another concussion.