If your child is getting ready to try hockey for the first time, the equipment list can be a little intimidating.
Helmet. Shoulder pads. Elbow pads. Shin guards. Hockey pants. Gloves. Skates. Stick. Neck guard. Socks that aren’t really socks.
Spread everything across the living room floor and it can look like you’re preparing your child for a trip into space.
The good news is that hockey equipment is much easier to understand once you know what each piece does. You also don’t need to buy the most expensive gear in the store to get your child started. For a young or beginning player, proper fit, comfort and protection matter much more than the logo on the equipment.
Here’s what your child will need to get on the ice.
The Basic Youth Hockey Equipment Checklist
A fully equipped youth hockey player will typically need:
- Hockey helmet with full face protection
- Neck laceration protector, often called a neck guard
- Shoulder pads
- Elbow pads
- Hockey gloves
- Hockey pants
- Protective cup or pelvic protector
- Shin guards
- Hockey socks
- Ice hockey skates
- Hockey stick
- Mouthguard when required
- Practice jersey
- Hockey bag
- Water bottle
That sounds like a lot. Once you’ve dressed a player a few times, though, the process becomes surprisingly routine.
And yes, eventually your child may be able to put most of it on without you.
Eventually.
Hockey Helmet and Face Mask
The helmet is one place where fit really matters.
A hockey helmet should sit securely on the child’s head without being painfully tight. It shouldn’t slide around when your child moves their head, and it should cover the forehead properly rather than sitting high or tilted backward.
Youth players should have the appropriate full-face protection, usually a cage or full shield. Helmets and face protectors used in USA Hockey programs should have current HECC certification, so pay attention to the certification labels when buying new or used equipment.
For a first-time player, a cage is a perfectly good choice. It is durable, provides excellent protection and doesn’t fog up.
One important note about used helmets: don’t buy one simply because it looks fine. Check the certification label and expiration information, and avoid helmets with cracks, missing pieces or obvious damage.
Neck Guard
A neck laceration protector is now standard equipment for youth hockey.
USA Hockey requires players in youth, girls, high school and junior classifications to wear neck laceration protection during both games and practices.
Look for one that fits comfortably and covers as much of the exposed neck area as practical without interfering with your child’s movement.
Many newer hockey base-layer shirts also have neck protection built into them. Either style can work as long as it meets the applicable requirements and fits properly.
Shoulder Pads
Shoulder pads protect more than the shoulders. They also provide coverage for the chest, upper back, collarbone and upper arms.
For a young beginner, you don’t need the bulkiest shoulder pads on the rack.
They should:
- Cover the shoulders properly
- Protect the chest and upper back
- Allow your child to move their arms freely
- Meet the elbow pads without leaving a large exposed gap
If your child looks like they can’t lower their arms after you put the shoulder pads on, they probably aren’t the right size.
Elbow Pads
Elbow pads protect the elbows and part of the forearm.
A good fit should stay in place when your child bends and straightens their arms. If the pads slide down toward the wrists every time they move, they are too loose.
There should also be very little exposed space between the elbow pads and hockey gloves.
Elbows have a remarkable ability to find the ice when kids are learning to skate, so this is not a piece of equipment you want sliding around.
Hockey Gloves
Hockey gloves protect the hands, fingers and wrists while still allowing the player to hold and control the stick.
For beginners, comfort is important.
Have your child hold a hockey stick while trying on gloves. They should be able to wrap their fingers around it naturally without the gloves feeling excessively large or stiff.
Buying gloves several sizes too big so your child can “grow into them” usually makes learning to handle a stick harder.
Some growing room is fine. Swimming in them isn’t.
Hockey Pants
Despite the name, hockey pants look more like heavily padded shorts.
They protect the hips, thighs, lower spine and tailbone.
Hockey pants should sit securely around the waist and extend far enough down the leg to overlap slightly with the top of the shin guards.
Suspenders are also available and can be very useful for younger players who have trouble keeping their hockey pants in place.
Protective Cup or Pelvic Protector
Players should wear appropriate pelvic protection underneath their hockey equipment.
For boys, this is commonly a protective cup. For girls, pelvic protectors designed specifically for female players are available.
Many hockey compression shorts and pants come with the necessary holder built in, which makes getting dressed considerably easier.
Shin Guards
Shin guards protect the knees and front of the lower legs.
They should begin around the kneecap and extend down toward the skate without interfering with the player’s ability to bend the knee or ankle.
This is another piece of equipment where sizing matters.
Too short leaves areas exposed. Too long can interfere with the skate and make movement uncomfortable.
Shin guards are usually held in place under the hockey socks, sometimes with clear hockey tape around the outside of the sock.
Hockey Socks
Here’s one of hockey’s little surprises for new parents:
Hockey socks aren’t really socks.
They’re the long fabric coverings that go over the shin guards from the skate up to the hockey pants.
Your child will still wear regular thin socks—or sometimes no socks, depending on preference—inside the skates.
Hockey socks are usually secured with Velcro tabs on hockey shorts or a hockey garter.
Hockey Skates
Skates might be the most important piece of equipment for a new player’s comfort.
A child whose feet hurt probably isn’t going to care how much fun everyone says hockey is supposed to be.
Hockey skates should fit more closely than regular shoes. Buying them several sizes too large because your child is growing can make skating much harder.
A properly fitted skate helps provide:
- Ankle support
- Better balance
- Better control of the skate blade
- More efficient strides
- Fewer problems with the foot moving around inside the boot
If you’re unsure, have your child’s first skates professionally fitted at a hockey shop.
Also remember that new skates need to be sharpened before they are used. They don’t normally come from the box ready for the ice.
Used skates can be an excellent way to save money for growing kids, provided they fit properly and are still in good condition.
Hockey Stick
You do not need a $300 hockey stick for a child learning how to skate.
Really.
For a beginner, concentrate on three things:
Length, flex and which way the child naturally wants to hold it.
Don’t automatically assume a right-handed child needs a right-handed hockey stick. Hockey handedness doesn’t always match the hand someone uses to write.
Let your child naturally pick up a stick and see which position feels comfortable.
Stick length is also important. A youth hockey shop can help size it properly, and sticks can usually be cut down if necessary.
The lighter and more expensive stick will not turn a first-time player into Connor McDavid.
A reasonably priced youth stick that fits correctly will do the job just fine.
Mouthguard
USA Hockey requires mouthguards for players in the 12U age classification and older through youth and high school hockey.
Some teams, leagues or programs may have additional requirements, so it’s always a good idea to check with your child’s organization.
Even when one isn’t mandatory for a particular age group, families may still choose to have their child wear one.
Practice Jersey
Your child will need something to wear over the shoulder pads.
Some programs provide jerseys. Others ask families to bring their own practice jersey.
For beginner hockey, there’s usually no need to get fancy. A basic hockey practice jersey in the appropriate size is perfectly fine unless the program specifies a particular color.
Hockey Bag
All of this gear needs somewhere to go.
For younger players, a basic hockey equipment bag is usually enough. Some families prefer wheeled bags, while others stick with traditional carry bags.
There is no performance advantage to either one.
There may, however, be a significant parent-back advantage to wheels.
One habit worth starting immediately: take wet equipment out of the bag when you get home.
Hockey equipment that lives permanently inside a zipped bag develops its own ecosystem surprisingly quickly.
Water Bottle
A regular sports water bottle works, but hockey bottles often have a long spout that lets players drink through their helmet cage.
Make sure your child’s name is clearly marked on it.
Twenty identical water bottles lined up on a hockey bench is a very effective way to make twenty water bottles disappear.
Do We Have to Buy Everything New?
Absolutely not.
Hockey can be expensive, and growing children can move through equipment sizes quickly. Quality used equipment can save families a significant amount of money.
Items that are often good candidates for buying used include:
- Shoulder pads
- Elbow pads
- Hockey pants
- Shin guards
- Gloves
- Skates
- Sticks
- Hockey bags
Inspect everything carefully for excessive wear, broken straps, cracked plastic or missing padding.
Use more caution with helmets and other certified protective equipment. Make sure certification is current, all required labels are present and the equipment hasn’t been damaged or modified. HECC specifically advises families purchasing discounted or older helmets to verify that certification remains valid.
When in doubt, especially with a helmet, buying new may be the better choice.
Don’t Buy Too Much Before Your Child Tries Hockey
If your child has never played before, you may not need to walk into a hockey store and purchase an entire equipment set on day one.
Many introductory programs, Learn to Play programs and Try Hockey events have loaner equipment or equipment packages available for new players. USA Hockey’s Try Hockey For Free program, for example, is specifically designed to let children experience the sport without families first making a major equipment investment.
Check with the local program before shopping.
You might be able to borrow some or all of the equipment for those first few trips onto the ice.
Fit Matters More Than Brand
Walk into a hockey store and you’ll see plenty of choices.
That’s great, but a beginner doesn’t need top-of-the-line equipment.
A $200 pair of gloves that doesn’t fit properly isn’t better than a $50 pair that does.
The same goes for skates, pads and sticks.
For new players, concentrate on:
- Proper fit
- Protection
- Comfort
- Freedom of movement
- Condition of the equipment
Brand name should come somewhere after those.
Children grow quickly, too, so spending heavily on every piece of equipment doesn’t always make sense during the early years.
Ask for Help
If you’re new to hockey, nobody expects you to know how every piece of equipment is supposed to fit.
Ask.
Hockey shops can help with sizing. Coaches can check equipment. Other hockey parents have probably bought every wrong size imaginable at least once and are usually happy to help another family avoid doing the same thing.
Your local youth hockey organization can also tell you exactly what is required for its particular program.
The First Few Times Will Take a While
The first time you dress your child for hockey, allow some extra time.
Actually, allow a lot of extra time.
You’ll probably put something on in the wrong order. A shin guard will disappear. One hockey sock will somehow be inside the other hockey sock. Your child will suddenly need to use the bathroom approximately fourteen seconds after you’ve finished getting everything on.
This is normal.
After a few practices, you’ll develop a routine.
And before long, that enormous pile of equipment that once looked completely foreign will just look like hockey gear.
Ready to Get Started?
The equipment list shouldn’t keep a family from giving hockey a try.
Start with gear that fits properly, take advantage of used equipment and beginner programs when they make sense, and don’t feel pressured to purchase the most expensive version of everything.
The goal of that first set of equipment is pretty simple:
Keep your child protected, comfortable and excited to get back on the ice.
If you’re looking for youth hockey opportunities in Northeast Ohio, ClevelandYouthHockey.com can help you find local clubs, rinks, training opportunities, events and other resources to get started.
