Hockey Stick Buyer's Guide 2026/27: Every Bauer, CCM, Warrior, True & SOYUZ Line Compared

Last updated: 09.11.2026 · by Andri Farrer

Bauer, CCM, Warrior, True, Sherwood – every brand runs three or four lines, every line comes in three price tiers, and the names change every year. This guide translates the chaos: which line has which kick point, what you really lose with the cheaper model, what your blade is called at each brand – and which SOYUZ feels like the stick you play today.

Every brand and line for 2026/27, sorted by kick point

The kick point is the most important property of a shaft – and it's exactly how the brands organise their lines. Once you get that, you don't need the marketing brochures anymore. The breakdown follows the manufacturer specs as compiled by Twig in October 2026.

Two things stand out. First: Bauer Nexus is missing. According to Twig there is no new Nexus generation for 2026/27, and the line is being cleared out at retail. If you play a Nexus and need a replacement, at our shop you end up with the CLASSIC SPR – the only SOYUZ model built the Nexus way. Second: no major brand has a pure high-kick flagship anymore. The market has moved towards low kick. We see the same in our own orders: of roughly 320 SOYUZ player sticks over the last 90 days, 47% were low kick (AURORA, STD PRO), 26% hybrid (HIT GRIT), 18% ultra-low (ARCANE, RAPID), 7% mid and only 2% high kick.

"I play X – which SOYUZ fits?"

The most common question in our inbox. The answer depends on the kick point, not the logo. For Bauer and CCM we compared the equivalents ourselves; for Warrior, True and Sherwood the match is derived from the kick point.

ARCANE and RAPID have no real counterpart on the market. In SOYUZ's test data the RAPID scores best across all criteria, but the feel in your hands takes some getting used to – not a stick to buy blind. More context in the kick point guide.

Flagship, performance, value: what you lose with the cheaper model

Every line comes in three tiers. Marketing talks about "technologies" – in practice the difference is mainly one thing: weight. The kick point stays the same within a line. Manufacturer specs, senior, flex 85:

According to Twig, flagships cost 330–420 US dollars, performance models around 190–230 and value models 130–180 – before customs and local mark-ups. One exception deserves a sentence: for CCM Ribcor, the flagship is listed as ultra-low kick and the performance model as low kick.

My take: for most recreational players, the performance model is a more honest buy than a 400-dollar flagship. You can feel 30–40 grams, but they don't make a single shot worse. The wrong flex does. SOYUZ doesn't have these tiers: all seven models are 100% carbon at 365–400 g and cost CHF 187–285 in stock. Detailed prices are in The best hockey stick 2026/27.

Shaft shapes and tapers

Besides the kick point, lines differ in shaft shape – and that decides how the stick sits in your hands. The common shapes:

• Classic square: flat sides, sharp corners. Gives the most direct feel for where the blade is pointing.
• Rounded corners: more comfortable, especially for players who rotate the stick a lot.
• Concave sides (double concave): recessed side walls, known from CCM Ribcor. More grip for the fingers.
• Multi-sided shafts: five- or six-sided shapes that guide your hand into a fixed position.

The taper is where the shaft narrows just above the blade. The more aggressive the taper, the lower the stick bends – which is why low-kick models almost always have a pronounced taper and cheap value sticks often have none at all.

At SOYUZ, the ARCANE has the most unusual construction: a slim shaft with a vaulted dual-loop structure and AEROX taper for the lowest kick point in the range. The RAPID uses a D-shaft.

Blade chart: what is my curve called at each brand?

This is where switching brands gets expensive: translate your blade wrong and you suddenly shoot differently. The table shows the equivalents from our 3D Curve Lab. "Same name" doesn't automatically mean "same blade" – in the Lab you can overlay the real shapes in 3D.

What you can get from us from a single stick: P28, P28 +1/4, P29, P29 +1/4, P86, P88, P90TM and P92 as custom from one stick. P28 and P29 are also in stock in all seven senior models. More than 100 other blades, including the P02, are available as Pro Custom from three sticks. The Bauer-identical P28M and P92M are available from one stick only on the CLASSIC SPR (where the P86 is called P50). On the other models, Max versions (P28M, P29M) are Pro Custom only, from three sticks, with their own lie.

Two classics that often get translated wrong: there is no CCM P88 – the CCM equivalent of the Bauer P88 is the P40. And the P29 and the P92 are practically the same blade: in our CAD measurements they are only tenths of a millimetre apart. Want to compare your blade directly? P29 vs P88 in the Curve Lab. All shapes at a glance in the blade guide 2026.

Flex, length, lie, grip, weight – the essentials in one paragraph

• Flex: our rule of thumb is flex ≈ body weight in kg, and lower when in doubt. If you take a lot of slap shots, you can go a bit stiffer. The table by age and weight is in the flex guide.
• Length: every centimetre you cut makes the stick stiffer. Factor that in before you saw – the numbers are in the size chart, and how to cut or extend is in cutting or extending a hockey stick.
• Lie: the angle between blade and shaft. If the blade sits flat on the ice in your normal stance, it fits. Our standard blades have the same lie as at Bauer and CCM. Everything about it in the lie article.
• Grip: purely a matter of taste. With grip your hand sticks, without grip the top hand slides freely when stickhandling. More in grip or no grip?
• Weight: flagships all sit at 360–375 g; the SOYUZ models weigh 365 g (ARCANE, RAPID, AURORA), 375 g (HIT GRIT, CLASSIC SPR), 380 g (MASTER FRST) and 400 g (STD PRO). More important than total weight is where it sits: hockey stick balance.

My recommendation

Don't buy by brand, buy by line. Figure out which kick point you play today and whether you're happy with it. Then translate your blade with the table above – and only then look at price and weight.

If you're starting from scratch: AURORA or HIT GRIT with a P29, flex slightly below your body weight. That's the combination our customers order most. And if you already know what you want but don't want to spend 400 dollars on a flagship, a performance model from the big brands or an in-stock SOYUZ will serve you better than the most expensive stick on the rack.

Watch out for "pro stocks" at bargain prices: especially before Black Friday, lots of fakes are in circulation. How to spot them: how to spot fake hockey sticks.

FAQ

Which hockey stick brand is the best?

None. Bauer, CCM, Warrior, True and Sherwood build their flagships at a very similar level (360–375 g). What matters is which line – meaning which kick point – suits your shot, and that flex, blade and length are right.

What is the CCM equivalent of the Bauer Vapor?

The CCM Ribcor Trigger. Both are low-kick lines for a quick release. At Warrior that's the Covert, at True the HZRDUS, at SOYUZ the AURORA.

Is the Bauer Nexus still around in 2026?

According to Twig's overview, Bauer has not launched a new Nexus generation for 2026/27, and the line is being cleared out. At SOYUZ, the CLASSIC SPR is built the Nexus way.

Is a performance model worse than the flagship?

It's heavier, usually by 30–75 grams, with the same kick point. For recreational and junior players it's often the more sensible buy.

Which CCM blade matches the Bauer P92?

The CCM P29. At Warrior it's called W03, at True TC2, at Sherwood PP92. SOYUZ offers both P29 and P92 – practically the same shape.

Which brand is SOYUZ comparable to?

SOYUZ is modelled on CCM's top line, but it's a brand of its own focused on top-end development and already widespread in the KHL. The HIT GRIT feels like a JetSpeed, the MASTER FRST like a Tacks, and the CLASSIC SPR is built like a Bauer Nexus.

Related guides

• The best hockey stick 2026/27
• Kick point: low, mid, hybrid or high?
• How to choose a hockey stick: 7 facts
• Hockey blade guide 2026
• Value for money: ABSHockey vs. Bauer, CCM & co.
• Dressed sticks & pro stock specs explained

Sources: Twig Hockey Company, "Compare Hockey Sticks: 2026-27 Season" (lines, kick points, weights, US prices, as of October 2026); blade equivalents from the ABSHockey 3D Curve Lab; SOYUZ model data; ABSHockey orders over the last 90 days (as of 09.11.2026). Header image: SOYUZ blackout stick, edited as a charcoal drawing.