NHL & KHL Pro Stick Specs: Pros' Flex & Curve

What flex does Connor McDavid play, what curve does Nikita Kucherov use? The answers circulate in forums, mostly without a source and often contradicting each other. This list only contains specs from sticks that passed through our hands, or specs we have directly from the pro stock side: 93 players from the NHL and KHL, each with handedness, flex and curve.

The individual player is less interesting than the overall picture. In several places it contradicts what gets said about pro sticks.

All 93 players at a glance

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Curves highlighted in red are ones we carry as a standard blade – the P91A is called P21 here. Names like "P92 (SAKIC)" or "P28 (FISHER PRO)" are retail and pro stock labels, not evidence that the named player used that curve.

What the numbers show

Flex: 70 to 120 – and no rule behind it

The most common assumption about pro equipment is that pros play stiffer than amateurs. This list says otherwise. The range runs from 70 to 120, the median sits at 85. Five players are at 75 or below, 56 between 76 and 89, 32 at 90 or above.

Four players on this list use a 70 flex – a value many amateurs consider junior equipment. The reason is not body weight but release: a softer shaft loads faster and lets the puck go earlier. Players who build their game on quick, hard-to-read shots deliberately accept less power on the slap shot in return. At the other end sits Victor Hedman with 120 – a defenceman whose job is close to the opposite.

Two things follow from that. First, a pro's flex number is not a target, it is the result of a very specific style of play. Second, if players at this level spread across 50 flex points, the rule of thumb "half your body weight in pounds" is a starting point at best. Where to go from there is covered in the hockey stick guide.

Curves: 40 of 93 play a P92 shape

By far the most common curve on this list is the P92 family: 40 of the 93 players, 30 of them in the NHL and 10 in the KHL. Next comes a category that appears in no sales statistic – 27 players use a genuine custom shape that does not exist at retail. Only then follow the P28 with 10 and the P90 with 5.

The second figure is the more interesting one. Almost a third of these players use something you cannot buy. So if you are hunting for a particular pro curve and cannot find it in the shops, you are often not searching wrong – it simply does not exist. And names like "P92 (SAKIC)" or "P28 (FISHER PRO)" are retail and pro stock labels, not evidence that the named player ever used that curve. Joe Sakic, for one, never played the P92 named after him.

Which of our blades matches which of these shapes is in the SOYUZ Curve Guide – there you can lay two or three curves directly on top of each other.

Handedness: 57 to 36

57 of the 93 players shoot left, 36 shoot right – close to two thirds left. For hockey that is not unusual, but it surprises newcomers, because it runs against the right-hander reflex from other sports. When ordering it is the detail most often got wrong: LH means your lower hand on the shaft is the left one.

From a pro spec to your own stick

1. Translate the curve, don't copy it. A Bauer P92 is called P29 at CCM, W03 at Warrior, T92 at True. If the list shows a custom shape, the closest retail curve is the practical route – the Curve Guide shows you which one that is.

2. Don't copy the flex. A pro's number fits their body, their technique and their job on the ice. Take it as a hint about what a style of play demands, not as a figure to adopt. And keep in mind: cutting a stick down makes it stiffer, a shortened 85 quickly behaves like a 95.

3. Pick the model. Curve and flex still say nothing about the kick point. Which of our seven models fits your game is what the Stick Finder settles in five questions.

Where the data comes from

The figures come from sticks that passed through our hands and from specifications available to us through the pro stock trade. That is a sample, not a league statistic: 93 players are a fraction of the NHL and KHL, and the selection did not come about at random but according to which sticks we could reach.

We spell that out because percentages about curve distribution in the NHL circulate online that nobody can source. Our numbers hold for these 93 players – no more, but no less either.

And pros change equipment. A player can switch flex or curve mid-season without anyone noticing. This list is a snapshot, not a guarantee. If you spot an error, or have a verifiable spec that is missing, write to us – we will add it.

Frequently asked questions

What flex do NHL pros play?

On this list, anywhere from 70 to 120, with a median of 85. There is no typical NHL flex: four players sit at 70, one defenceman at 120. The number follows the style of play, not body weight.

Which curve do most pros play?

The P92 family – 40 of 93 players on this list. Genuine custom shapes follow with 27, then the P28 with 10. Note that custom curves are not available at retail.

Can I order a stick with exactly these specs?

Flex, length, handedness and curve are free to choose on every custom stick. On the curve side, our eleven standard blades cover the common retail shapes; with Pro Custom from 3 sticks the full selection of more than 100 curves opens up, including pro stock shapes. A player-specific one-off like the ones in the "Custom" column is not part of that.

Why do some pros play such a low flex?

Because of the release. A softer shaft loads faster and lets the puck go earlier – which makes the shot harder to read and quicker out of motion. The price is less power on the slap shot from distance. For players who score from close range and on the move, that is a good trade.

What does "Custom" mean in the curve column?

A blade built individually for that player that matches no retail curve. Some carry internal names like "GENO PRO" or "OVIE PRO". You cannot buy them – anyone wanting to get close looks for the nearest standard curve.

What do LH and RH mean?

LH stands for left-handed: your lower hand on the shaft is the left one and the blade points left. RH is the opposite. On this list 57 players are LH and 36 are RH.

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