Too Whippy? Too Stiff? NHL Players Try Out Different Stick Flexes
These are some of the best players in the NHL I’m Jack Hughes I’m Robbie Thomas to Thomas he scores hey guys it’s Jason Robertson Robertson scores I’m Bowen bym and he scores I’m Quinn Hughes shoots scores this is Adam Fox he scores and we had them test out different
Sticks pump to try this one with different flexes I hate this this sucks to see which ones they like which ones they don’t like it’s really stiff can’t I can’t even Flex it you know and why it felt like I had a log in my hand yeah I can’t believe people use
This I use an uh 87 Flex on my stick I’ve been using it for as long as I can remember since I knew what Flex was and uh just kind of stuck with it since
Then I use an 80 Flex I was using 75 flex and then finally got a little bit stronger and made the jump to [Music] 80 I use an 85 flex I actually just recently went up from 75 last year [Music]
82 Flex I used to be an 87 but I just realized I would get more whip out of the shot with an 82 77 Flex I cut it down a little bit so it’s probably like more of a [Music] 82 I’ve been using
Hunter Flex for 6 years now now when I was about 16 years old I was using 85 flex and I remember my coach and my dad watching me take shots and be like Jay like your stick looks like a you know
Wet noodle like it’s it’s got to go up so I ended up moving up to 100 that year I kind of just fell in love with the what it is and what the control is and I used it ever since every player’s Flex
Number is different higher numbers mean the stick will be stiffer lower numbers mean the stick will bend more [Music] but it wasn’t always this way in the beginning NHL players use sticks made of wood usually with flex numbers that were more uniform giving all sticks a similar [Music] [Applause]
Feel then they began using sticks with aluminum shafts that had a couple different Flex options to choose from in the grety era Flex didn’t matter as much the greatest goal scorer in National Hockey League history but in the oetkin era that we see today they use one piece composite sticks with
Nearly unlimited Flex options and each player has a different reason for the number they decide to use I think the biggest reason for uh you know picking the right Flex is just the feel your
Stick finds the open man it’s Fox he scores you’re always flexing it even on a simple pass or on a shot if you have a stiffer Flex it’s better for one-timers and slap shots if you have a lighter
Flex it’s it’s better for Richard than snapshots here’s H shooting scor it’s all just personal preference and whatever you feel comfortable with and it’s not just about shooting but you know handling pocket and receiving passes and and things like that too when hockey players
Discuss stick Flex there’s one term you’ll hear often pretty whippy very whippy it feels whippy pretty whippy stick I still got some Whip too whippy wh whip whip whip whippy it’s pretty whippy more whip whip whip whip wh whippy way too whippy that’s really wh wh wh whippy getting low
With it and having it whip so whippy I still like some Whi in my stick not as much whip to it get more whip out of the shot way too way too way too whippy the lower the flex The Whipper the
Stick will be this means it’s easier to bend the stick and move the puck quickly a lower Flex is better for players who specialize in The Catch and Release like Austin Matthews is 80 Flex or
Conor Bard 71 Flex that’s why you see them picking Corners every night with the best of them here’s our players testing out a very whippy 65 Flex this feels like I might break it I don’t think I will
But definitely a lot more whippy than what I use I could have been [Music] low this feels like uh one of those plastic mini sticks so flexy yeah I mean it’s it’s a light Flex feels whipper than my
Stick but not too much I don’t think I’ll be able to shoot the puck very hard with it but that’s all [Music] right oh see I I just can’t handle it it’s way too whiy I feel like I’m going to fall over when I’m shooting it
You can just kind of feel it give out a bit it feels whippy and it feels small felt like uh like I was almost using a Broken [Music] Blade I do not like this uh I feel like I have no control when it [Music]
Bends yeah I can’t believe people use this when it comes to stick Flex the opposite of whippy is stiff stiffer sticks are stronger and don’t bend as easily players that take a lot of slap shots usually use a stick with a higher Flex like s Daniel Chara and his
15 5 Flex or Victor hedman’s 122 Flex you rarely see sticks this stiff and good luck finding numbers this high in your local Pro Shop here are our players testing out a 110 Flex this feels like a wooden stick like literally taken from a trunk of tree and just can’t can’t
Move it yeah I mean it’s really stiff can’t I can’t even Flex it you know it’s pretty stiff I’m really have to put my uh my whole body into that one I don’t think it’ll work too
Well for me might break my wrist but that’s all right I feels like 110 I would say that’s all I can say about it I don’t know if I’ve ever used a 110 flex but guess we’ll see how it Goes you can tell it’s not flexing [Music] much the control I have on it doesn’t feel as as good to me for me no bueno I hate this this [Music] sucks I actually don’t mind it for taking slap shots I wouldn’t use it it’s too like firm for like receiv receiving all my
Pucks got to have a little gift to it I think shooting a a thing that feels like iron I mean just doesn’t fure my game it felt like I had a log in my hand we don’t love it I feel
Like I could still grind it out though no that’s that’s it a 110 Flex to stiff a 65 Flex to whippy that’s why most sellers find themselves falling right in the [Music] middle box with a [Music]
Sh you know when I releas it it you know what I’m comfortable with and uh feels good to me here’s a great move by Tomas he comes in shoots he [Music] [Applause] scores yeah that’s my my normal stick feels uh right where I want to
[Music] be shoots scor yeah feels good ready to [Music] go H in Robertson one timer [Applause] score yeah it feels stiff like the way uh I like the [Music] sticks he shs he scores again yeah it feels pretty normal cuz my stick and feels comfortable back to Bo byon with the shot he
Scores yeah it feels good to me little bit of both not too stiff not too rcky choosing a flex is all about feel whether it’s a one timer or a tow Dragon release it all comes down to scoring goals finds the open man it’s Fox he scores drops it back he shoots
He scores in front th shoots and he scores shot score Robertson back to B byon with a shot he scores
NHL players take to the ice to test 65 and 110 flex hockey sticks and compare them to their current gear.
Subscribe to our channel for the latest hockey action by clicking the big, red, shiny SUBSCRIBE button.
Breaking news, scores, stats, analysis & real-time highlights: https://www.nhl.com
Feeling social?
Twitter: http://twitter.com/nhl
Facebook: http://facebook.com/nhl
Instagram: http://instagram.com/nhl
47 Comments
Idk I like my 65 flex as a 200+ pound guy
Idk why but Robert Thomas just seems like such a nice guy.
This was a great video! I feel like most people are gear geeks so it’s kinda strange we don’t spend more time talking with players about what they think – they’re the best after all!
I use 65 for lazy beer league snap shots
65 flex intermediate twig, I'm a 5'9" 165 guy, so I like the whip
And what pucks have become, soft and bounce, like a tennis ball !) Sliding though goalkeepers✌️
There should be a slapshot competition.
The players take one shot with 65, 75, 85, 95 AND 105.
Top accumulative M/KPH wins.
Love videos like this! Do more of these, would be cool to see their reasoning behind stick height and skate profiles!
Bowen Byram and “some of the best players in the NHL” shouldn’t be in the same sentence 😂😂😂
Damn Hedman with the 122 is crazy
We need a video with stick Blades it would be interesting
yall know people pay to see that guy jack play?
Good video, shows some history on the NHL, really like the narration, especially for new fans.
Bunch of white guys talking about their favorite whips 😂😂😂
All the best players except the actual best players
They should’ve had Mack and makar cause they do 95 flex
Felt like a professional video that was enjoyable and filled with personality; considering how the NHL is personality wise. Keep making videos of this quality, and, if not, better.
As a 12 year old kid growing up playing roller hockey my first two piece was a 75 Flex Easton Typhoon and that thing felt too soft. I went up to 100 as a preteen…I have no idea how an adult at any level can handle the puck with anything less than 85 😅 I went down to 100 when I switched to Ice, but I’m baffled how pro’s use such soft sticks! Robertson is the only relatable guy lol
Too hard to use a radar to get real measurements on the difference for the players? Feeling is one thing but results are what’s actually interesting
What about kick? That makes a huge difference.
Its a 65 for me
Rangers fan. Fox missing the net point blank with both sticks 🫣
Iuno how a man over 140 lbs uses a stick under 100 its just too whippy. Taking a slap shot would blow
Oh boy i didnt see the whippy part of this video before my comment now i feel ridiculous smh
I wanna see them try to use Chara's flex
Terrible selection of players
everyone looking like peak Kessel with that 65flex
My flex is 55
Seems like player height (stick length) also matters a lot to whippiness. Chara with 145flex and Bedard with 70 flex indicates that longer stick needs higher flex due to it's longer length. Imagine that Chara's stick with 70 flex it would be probably unusable
I am 10 and I use a 40 flex
Still have no idea how ppl use such a whippy stick ive used a 105 flex since i was 13-14 years old, granted i was a defenseman and took more slap shots than most players seem to take in todays nhl.
Jason uses 100?! That's wild lmao
Goaltenders dont have a chance now so they need BIGGER gloves and blockers and knee pads that's what t I think.
Honestly great vid but why in the f* do big corps like NHL have the most ads per video it’s make wanna vomit.
Love these types of vids you guys would do the way they tape their sticks next
Pretty sure Johnny Gaudreau uses a 55 flex 😂
What is this, 1996? How's about you use a wooden stick like a man.
That was a cool video! It would be cool to have a similar video, but using different kick points and different blade curves.
Personally, 87 flex is where it's at
What are the odds that i got a Kinder bueno advertisement after Thomas said no bueno.
😂
Sick vid more of this
I use a 65 flex because I am small lol
Bruh
Why no big boys
Great video. Now do a comparison with high, mid, and low kick sticks. Then a comparison between curves.
95 flex 5.5 lie ……
why does jack hughes look like there's 3 dudes behind the camera pointing guns at him