As a parent of a son who plays ice hockey at the AA level, I
have a deep interest in both sports and technology. Supporting my son’s passion requires a
significant investment of both time and money, and it has inspired me to
incorporate elements of my personal experience into this website. In fact, the main website design and color
scheme are based off a picture of my son at his ice rink, which adds a personal
touch to the sport related aspect of this post.
Along with my passion for sports, I have an interest in technology. My professional background is in technical
support for a third-party Government Contracting (GovCon) identification and
management application. In writing this
post, I have combined both of my interests as written in this paragraph. Where technology comes to play is using
Artificial Intelligence technology provided by ChatGPT to explore the topic of
pro stock hockey equipment. As a history
major at heart, I believe in citing sources for clarity and truthfulness so
that you, the reader, knows when ChatGPT writes the information or I.
My other interest, technology, where the following was processed through ChatGPT. The following was written by ChatGPT:
Are you a die-hard hockey fan? Do you want to know more about the equipment used by the pros? Look no further than Pro Stock hockey equipment!
Pro Stock equipment is the gear made specifically for professional hockey players and teams. This equipment is customized to meet the unique needs and preferences of individual players, and may feature exclusive colors, graphics, and branding. It is crafted by leading manufacturers such as Bauer, CCM, and Warrior, and is designed to meet the highest standards of quality, durability, and performance. (Human edit is that True, Sherwood, and STX are other brands I have seen on pro stock websites)
So, what are some examples of Pro Stock hockey equipment? Let’s take a look:
Skates: Pro Stock skates are designed to offer unparalleled support, comfort, and performance. They may feature unique graphics and branding and are made from lightweight materials such as carbon fiber. These customized boots allow players to have a perfect fit, which is critical for a sport that requires rapid changes in direction and high-impact movements.
Sticks: Pro Stock sticks are designed to meet the unique needs of individual players. They feature customized curves, flexes, and blade patterns and may be constructed from high-end materials such as carbon fiber. These customized sticks are critical for pro players who rely on their sticks for puck control, shot accuracy, and overall performance.
Gloves: Pro Stock gloves offer a high level of protection, comfort, and mobility. They may feature unique colors, graphics, and branding and are made from lightweight and durable materials. The customization of gloves allows players to have a better grip on their sticks, enabling them to execute their moves with greater precision.
Helmets: Pro Stock helmets offer players a high level of protection and comfort. They may feature unique colors, graphics, and branding and are made from lightweight and durable materials such as carbon fiber. These helmets are critical for professional players who require the best possible protection while maintaining a high level of comfort during gameplay.
Overall, Pro Stock hockey equipment is designed to give professional players a competitive edge on the ice. It offers features and technologies that are not available in standard retail models and is customized to meet the unique needs and preferences of individual players. Whether you are a pro player or an avid fan, understanding the benefits of Pro Stock hockey equipment can give you a greater appreciation for the sport and the equipment used to play it.
Hello, it’s me again (a human). I chose Pro Stock equipment for a few reasons to write about since I could use both of my interests previously listed in this post. The section above, written by ChatGPT, focused on the professional player. I, a human, will write about the vast majority of players, kids and beer league players. The original intended market for pro stock equipment are typically professional and college players. You will see equipment from the NHL, Minor League teams, Colleges and possible some others. I have purchased equipment that were sourced to the NHL and colleges pending the information on the website and markings on the equipment. Now for my experience with pro stock equipment.
The first reason I started to look into and research pro stock equipment was cost. Pro Stock equipment is generally less expensive than the retail counterpart. I started looking into hockey sticks, which I am using as an example and the same benefits and downsides exist for the other pieces of equipment. Sticks also happen to be the pieces of equipment that break or wear out the quickest. With prices now going over $300 per stick on some sticks, it was harder to justify the cost specifically when you want to try out new stick curves. Not sure about you, but I don’t want to throw away money if a specific curve doesn’t work with my son. Pro Stock hockey sticks, or team sticks which is a sub type of pro stock equipment are generally $150 to $215 pending the brand and type. While still expensive, the cost is much more palatable despite a couple downsides.
One downside of using pro stock equipment is there is no manufacturer’s warranty and if any warranty exists from the website you used to purchase the equipment. This means that it’s buyer beware where the equipment, in this case a stick, can break the first time one uses it on the ice without the ability to exchange it at a store. The retail sticks can typically be exchanged if broken within the first 30 days after purchase as a one time only exchange and then you are on the hook if the replacement breaks. Another downside is the actual number of sticks, and other equipment, that are available to purchase. This availability is also dependent on the time of year as well. Just think about it, the College and Professional players have to use the equipment and then at the end of the season will have their extra sticks make it into the pro stock inventory to purchase. Therefore, you will need to be proactive to purchase once the sticks, which are limited in quantity, become available on the websites. For example, I purchased 2 Sherwood’s Code TMP Pro hockey stick’s to store until the start of fall travel hockey season and found out a week afterwards that stock is now longer available.
As mentioned in the last paragraph, I purchased the Sherwood Code TMP Pro hockey sticks. My son recently changed to a P90TM curve using a CCM stick which was getting pretty beat up since he is a defensemen. I do monitor the pro stock sites year round and found the Sherwood Code TMP Pro hockey sticks in the PP90TM curve (Sherwood’s code for the curve). I purchased one for my son to tryout in order to see if the stick worked for him, which it did. Knowing the limited inventory for pro stock equipment, I ordered two more sticks to hold until the season while my son plays with the original stick. This also points out to another benefit for the taller players is that pro stock sticks can be found in longer versions over the retail sticks. Retail sticks typically are 60 inches in length in my area, where as the sticks I purchased were 64 inches in length. This means I did not have to purchase an extra extension and then glue it to the shorter retail stick. An interesting information piece about the original player who ordered the sticks that my son now uses is that the original player will order sticks to try it out and then decide to not to use them which leads to the sticks availability to purchase. I think this is the case with the Sherwood sticks I purchased by researching the player’s name on the sticks which I found was associated with a different curve than my son’s sticks that I found on another website and doing a google search.
It is also an interesting thought of where the equipment comes from as well. I wrote about sticks so far in the post. The associated teams for the sticks were from the Los Angeles Kings from the NHL, Michigan Tech (College/University), Quinnipiac University, and one university name that I can’t remember at the time of this post. This also brings up one outlier from pro stock being less expensive which is any custom or little known equipment sizes. Since my son is tall, I had to find elbow pads that were in the Large size in terms of circumference but longer. After searching for a while I found a Large sized elbow pads but that contained an extra inch of padding which is atypical for the size. The caveat here is that the source was from an international league, only one set was available anywhere so it was $100 dollars more due to the scarcity of the supply and where it came from, and it took a month to travel through international logistic companies as well.
I really enjoy researching the equipment and chasing it down which is another benefit of using pro stock, there is a sense of accomplishment to it. To be successful, prior research knowledge of the form and function of equipment will also help you when purchasing pro stock equipment.
I have listed the three main sites that I have used to purchase equipment below.
Pro Stock Websites I use:
Note: I have no affiliation with these websites and receive no monetary value of any kind from these sites.
The information provided in this post was obtained through open research and personal experience using various websites. The information must be accessible to all in order to appear in this information piece.