Hockey Stick Flex Guide

Flex is a number that measures how much force (in pounds) it takes to bend the shaft of a hockey stick exactly one inch. A flex 85 stick requires 85 lbs of force to deflect the shaft one inch. Higher number means stiffer shaft.

When you load up for a shot, you bend the stick against the ice or against a puck on your blade. The shaft stores that energy like a spring, then snaps back and transfers it into the puck as it releases. A stick that loads correctly for your body generates more power with less effort. A stick that is too stiff never loads fully. A stick that is too whippy loads inconsistently and gives up accuracy.

The right flex is not just about raw power. It affects feel, puck release timing, and how much energy you are actually putting into the shot versus fighting the stick.

Hockey sticks are sold in four size categories. Each covers a typical flex range, though there is overlap at the boundaries.

Body weight is the single biggest factor in flex selection because heavier players load the shaft with more force. Height matters too since it determines stick length and therefore lever arm. The chart below is a starting point. Personal preference, shooting style, and skating strength all factor into where in each range you should land.

If you fall between two rows, defer to weight over height. A 5'10" 165 lb forward shoots better with a 70 flex than an 80, even if the height column lines up with the heavier row.

Every inch you cut from the top of your stick adds approximately 2 flex points. You are removing the most flexible part of the shaft, shortening the lever arm, and making the remaining stick relatively stiffer.

If you buy a flex 85 and cut two inches off the top, you end up with a stick that plays closer to a flex 89. This matters if you are right at the edge of a flex range. A common mistake is buying an 85 hoping for a balanced feel, cutting it to fit, and ending up with a stick that effectively feels like a 90.

Rule of thumb: if you plan to cut your stick, buy two flex points lower per inch you intend to cut. Cutting two inches? An 81 will feel like a stock 85 after the cut.

Defensemen and forwards approach flex differently because the shot profile is different. Forwards tend to take more shots in close, off passes, and on the move. Quick release matters more than raw velocity. A forward who builds their game around wrist and snap shots usually shoots harder with a flex slightly lower than the basic height and weight chart suggests, because the shaft needs to load fast off a single hand pull.

Defensemen typically take more shots from the point, often loaded slap shots or one-timers where the player has time to wind up. Those shots reward a stiffer shaft because the player generates enough force to load it fully, and a flex that is too soft will whip and lose accuracy.

There is overlap. Offensive defensemen who pinch in and shoot in tight benefit from going a touch softer. Forwards who play the half wall on the power play and load one-timers off a cross-ice pass might lean stiffer. Two-way centers tend to land closest to the standard chart. The further your role drifts toward one extreme of shot type, the further you can stray from the chart in that direction.

Shot type changes how the stick loads, and that changes which flex feels right.

Wrist shots and snap shots use a small, fast loading motion. The shaft bends only briefly and partially. A lower flex bends more under the same effort, which means more stored energy returns into the puck on release. Players who shoot mostly wrist shots usually feel a faster, harder release with a flex 5 to 10 points below the chart number.

Slap shots use a long loading motion with the player driving the shaft into the ice well behind the puck. The full body weight goes into the stick. A higher flex holds up under that load without overflexing past its useful range. Players who take a lot of slap shots and one-timers tend to feel more accurate and more powerful at a flex 5 points above the chart number.

Most rec players take far more wrist and snap shots than slap shots over the course of a season, even if slap shots feel more rewarding when they land. Build the flex around what you actually shoot most often. The slap shot you take twice a game should not dictate the stick you use for the other 200 puck touches.

Flex and kick point are separate variables that both affect your shot, and they are often confused.

Flex determines how much force is required to bend the stick. Kick point determines where along the shaft the stick bends. These work together but are controlled independently by the stick design.

A low kick point stick in the wrong flex will still give you a quick release, but you won't generate the power you could. Get the flex right first, then optimize for kick point.

Kick point also interacts with effective flex. A low-kick 85 flex performs more like a higher-flex stick on snap shots because the lower bend point loads faster and feels stiffer at the top of the shaft. The opposite is true for mid-kick sticks, which load deeper into the shaft and feel softer on slap shots even at the same flex rating.

That is why a player switching from a mid-kick to a low-kick can feel like the new stick is stiffer, even when the flex number is identical. If you are switching kick points, consider dropping one flex point to keep the feel consistent across the transition.

One-piece sticks are molded as a single composite unit. The shaft and blade share materials and tapering, so the flex rating describes the whole stick as a continuous system.

Two-piece sticks consist of a separate shaft and blade joined at a tapered insert. The shaft carries the flex rating, but the blade and the joint affect how the stick feels in your hands. Two-piece setups often feel slightly stiffer than the same flex number on a one-piece, because the joint adds rigidity at the lower shaft.

Two-piece is mostly a budget or replacement option these days. Most performance sticks are one-piece. If you are buying a two-piece because you break blades often, expect a feel that is closer to a one-piece a few points stiffer. If you are coming off a broken blade replacement and the new stick feels off, the change in construction is probably why.

The same height and weight rules apply, but body strength relative to size is generally lower for younger players and many women. That means starting at the lower end of the recommended flex range is usually the better call.

A 14-year-old who weighs 140 lbs and a 32-year-old beer leaguer at 140 lbs do not generate force the same way. The teenager benefits from a softer stick because muscle development is still in progress. The same is true for women in the same weight range as comparable men.

There is no separate women's flex rating, and there should not be. Use the chart, pick the lower end of the range, and adjust from there based on how your shot feels. Players developing strength over time can move up the flex ladder. Sticking with a stick that is too stiff because the number sounds correct only slows that development.

A Bauer 77 flex does not feel identical to a CCM 75 flex. Each brand uses its own carbon layups, taper points, and resin systems, and the flex rating measures lab deflection, not real-world feel. Two 85 flex sticks from different brands can feel a half flex point different in either direction.

If you can get to a hockey shop, flex test sticks in person. Press the toe of the blade into the floor and pull the top of the shaft with one hand to see how it loads. The feel is what matters, not just the number on the label. If you are buying online, stick with a brand you have shot before when possible, especially when transitioning between flex points.

Curves also vary by brand. See our hockey stick curve chart for cross-brand equivalents.