Sizing Youth Hockey Equipment, Head to Toe

Kids grow in bursts, gear is not cheap, and the temptation to buy one size up is strong. We understand it. But protective equipment only protects when it sits where it was designed to sit, and skates that are too big make learning to skate harder. Here's how to fit a young player from the top down.

Helmet

The helmet should sit level, with the front edge about a finger's width above the eyebrows. Adjust it so it's snug all the way around. Grab the helmet and try to rotate it side to side and front to back. The skin on the forehead should move with it rather than the helmet sliding over the head. The chin strap should allow roughly one finger between strap and chin. Check that it carries a current CSA certification sticker and that the cage or visor is certified too.

Shoulder pads

The centre of the shoulder caps should sit right over the tip of each shoulder. The chest plate should cover the sternum, and the back panel should reach the shoulder blades. Pads that are too long hang into the pants and get shoved up into the chin every time the child bends over. Have your child raise their arms overhead. The pads should move with them without riding into the throat.

Elbow pads

The elbow should sit squarely in the cup. The pad should close the gap between the bottom of the shoulder pad and the top of the glove cuff. A pad that's too big slides down the arm and leaves the joint exposed, which is exactly where kids land when they fall.

Gloves

Fingertips should reach close to the end of the glove fingers without jamming. The cuff should meet the elbow pad with little or no bare forearm showing. Oversized gloves make it harder to feel the stick, and small hands already have enough trouble with that.

Pants

The bottom of the pants should overlap the top of the shin guard kneecap by a little. The waist should be snug with a belt or suspenders, and the thigh guards should sit on the front of the thighs. Pants are the one piece where a little extra length is tolerable, since the belt keeps them in place.

Shin guards

Measure from the centre of the kneecap to the top of the skate boot. The knee cap of the guard should centre on the knee, and the bottom should tuck into the tongue of the skate without being pushed up by it. Guards that are too long get forced upward by the boot and the kneecap shifts off the knee.

Skates

This is where "room to grow" does the most damage. A skate that's too long lets the heel lift and the foot slide, and the child's ankle ends up doing work the boot should do. You'll see it as ankles caving inward and a kid who seems to be working very hard to go slowly.

With the skate laced, the toes should just brush the toe cap when standing upright and pull back slightly when the knees bend into a stance. Have your child stand, bend the knees, and see whether the heel lifts. Skate sizes don't match shoe sizes either, and they vary between brands, so try them on rather than guessing.

Why room to grow is a risky bet

Gear that fits in March and is too big in September becomes gear that fits right around Christmas. For half the season it's moving around on the body and leaving gaps. That's when a puck or a fall finds the spot the pad was supposed to cover. For protective pieces and skates, buy for now. If budget is the worry, buy used in the right size rather than new in the wrong one.

Quick checks a parent can do

• Dress them fully at home before the first practice. Gaps between pieces show up immediately when everything is on together.
• Have them get into a crouch as if waiting for a faceoff. Look for pieces that ride up, dig in or separate.
• Do the helmet wiggle test every few months. Heads grow and pads compress.
• Check skate length at the start of every season and again at mid-season. Feet can jump a size without much warning.
• Ask your child what hurts. Kids often won't volunteer that their skates pinch, but they'll tell you if asked directly.

A kid in gear that fits moves more freely, falls more safely and tends to enjoy the game more. That's worth more than stretching one set of pads across an extra winter.