Andres Ambühl's Stick: Specs, Custom Blade and His One-of-a-Kind Tape Job

You can find everything online about the sticks of NHL stars. About the equipment of Swiss pros, practically nothing. Which is a shame, because that is often the more interesting story – there is no marketing budget involved here. We had Andres Ambühl's stick in our hands. And it tells three stories at once.

Specs

• Model: Bauer Nexus 2N Pro XL
• Flex: 87
• Curve: Fully custom – no pattern code
• Shoots: Right
• Tape: Black stripe along the bottom, white wrap at the toe

The XL in the name stands for extra light. In its day the Nexus 2N Pro XL was one of the lightest builds in the Bauer range – and the long number below it is not a serial number but Ambühl's player ID at Bauer. The factory uses it to assign every single stick to the right pro.

Why pros play old models

The Nexus 2N Pro XL has not been the current generation for years – and yet plenty of pros still play it. The reason is simple: once you have found a model that works, you do not switch. A new stick means a new feel, a new kick point, a new weight distribution – and weeks of adjustment in the middle of a season.

Manufacturers know this. So they keep producing old molds for their pros and finish them with the current graphics. From the outside it looks like the newest flagship; underneath it is the mold the player has known for years. That is exactly what a dressed stick is – and when you see a pro on TV with the brand-new model, chances are high that something quite different is hiding underneath.

The blade: custom, no code

This is where it gets interesting. Ambühl's blade carries no pattern code – no P92, no P28, no PM9. It is a full one-off, tuned to his game over years.

That happens more often at pro level than most people think. Retail curves like the P92 or P28 are standardised compromises built for a mass market. A pro who has played at the highest level for twenty years does not need that compromise – he gets his own shape.

The tape job – the real highlight

Look closely at the photo and you will see something almost nobody else does. Ambühl does not tape his blade in one piece, but in two steps:

A single black stripe along the bottom edge – a tape job that comes from roller hockey. On black carbon it is barely visible, which is why most people never notice it. It protects the bottom edge without the weight and the muted puck feel of a full tape job.

A white wrap at the toe – exactly where the blade takes the most punishment on faceoffs, along the boards and on blocks. Two zones, two functions, minimal material.

This is not a quirk. It is twenty years of experience distilled into two strips of tape. Anyone who wants to know how pros actually treat their equipment will find more of an answer here than in any catalogue.

The player

Andres Ambühl, born in 1983, is an institution in Swiss hockey. He grew up with HC Davos and has stayed loyal to the club throughout his entire career, interrupted only by a short spell in North America. With the national team he has appeared at an extraordinary number of World Championships, holding one of the most remarkable records in international hockey.

That a player with such a career has thought through his equipment down to the last detail is no surprise. That those details are so clearly readable on the stick itself is.

Not sure which curve suits your game? Take our 2-minute stick finder and find your model.

Related guides

• Understanding dressed sticks & pro stock specs
• Which curve is right for me?
• Choosing the right flex
• Nico Hischier's stick in detail
• Leon Draisaitl's stick in detail

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