Goalie stick sizing: find the paddle that fits.
Start with the paddle, not the overall height of the stick. You want a comfortable blocker position and a blade that meets the ice in your normal stance and butterfly.
A height chart can narrow the search. It cannot account for how you stand, your equipment, or the way a particular stick is shaped.
Paddle length is not shaft length.
The paddle is the wide section below your grip; the shaft extends above it. Ice Warehouse measures its “universal” paddle length from the heel’s contact point to the start of the handle. That is a retailer measurement convention, not a guarantee that every brand’s printed number matches it.
A fit check you can actually use.
This checklist follows Ice Warehouse’s stance-and-butterfly fitting guidance. Try nearby paddle sizes with your usual equipment.
- Hold the stick at the shoulder, where shaft and paddle meet. Take your normal ready stance.
- Look for blade contact without forcing the blocker unusually high or reaching down.
- Drop into your normal butterfly. Recheck blade contact and a relaxed blocker position in front of you.
- If the fit changes awkwardly between positions, try the next paddle size and repeat.
Why we do not give you one universal size chart.
Goalie Coaches separates the age category from the paddle measurement. Its height guidance and Ice Warehouse’s chart are starting points, not interchangeable conversion tables.
When changing brands or models, record the stick and paddle you use now, then compare the actual fit. Do not assume a matching printed number means a matching feel.
What about growing goalies?
Use the age category to start shopping, then check the fit now. A birthday is not a measurement. If you are unsure between options, ask a goalie coach or fitter to watch the stance and butterfly check.
Can I fix a tall paddle by cutting the shaft?
No. Cutting above your grip changes the shaft length, not the paddle below your hand. Test a shorter paddle if the paddle is the part that does not fit.
Take the fit to the shopping page.
Our detail pages list nominal paddle options. They are not cross-brand size conversions, and a listed option is not a promise that every hand and pattern is in stock.
Start with a paddle that fits, then compare the retailer’s exact configuration and delivered price. A discount on the wrong size is not a useful bargain.