How to Measure Hockey Stick Length—and Find the Right Fit

There are two different measurements people call “hockey stick length”:

1. The stick’s physical length: measure from the heel of the blade to the end of the shaft.
2. The stick’s fit on a player: stand in skates and see where the shaft end reaches relative to the face.

Use the first method to compare sticks or check a rule. Use the second before deciding where to cut.

How to measure the stick itself

Place the stick on the floor and identify the heel, where the blade turns up into the shaft. Run a tape measure in a straight line from that point to the top end of the shaft. Include a permanent plug or extension, but not a soft tape knob projecting above the shaft.

This heel-to-shaft-end dimension is the rules measurement. Under the current USA Hockey rule, a player’s stick may not exceed 65 inches by that method (USA Hockey Rule 301). Check the rulebook for your own league rather than assuming every competition uses the same limit.

Record the method beside the number. Brands and sellers do not all describe retail length identically: some list the shaft-to-heel distance, while others measure to the floor with the stick standing against a wall (Pro Stock Hockey). Two sticks advertised at the same length can therefore require a direct side-by-side check.

How to measure the stick for your body

Use this as a starting routine:

1. Put on your hockey skates. Skates raise your hands and torso relative to the ice, so a shoes-only fitting will read differently.
2. Stand upright and place the blade toe on the floor in front of you. Do not stand on the blade or lean the shaft toward your face.
3. Check the top of the shaft. A neutral starting point is around the chin to lower lip in skates. Bauer gives chin-to-bottom-lip in skates, or roughly nose height in shoes, as its fitting guide (Bauer).
4. Mark the shaft; do not cut yet. If possible, tape a temporary top-hand position at the mark and test it before removing material.
5. Drop into your normal skating stance. Hold the stick as you would while carrying or receiving a puck, not with locked knees and the shaft perfectly vertical. The blade should meet the ice naturally without forcing your shoulders upright or pulling your top hand against your body.

The face-height check is a baseline, not a law. CCM similarly recommends chin height in skates, then notes that shorter sticks favor close puck control while longer sticks add reach (CCM). Start neutral unless you already know what trade-off you want.

Why stance and blade lie matter

Length changes the geometry between your hands and the puck. With the same body position and shaft angle, a longer hand-to-blade distance places the puck farther away. A shorter distance brings it closer but reduces reach.

The blade’s lie—the fixed angle between blade and shaft—also affects how it sits on the ice. Test length while wearing skates and holding your usual stance. If only the toe or heel contacts the ice, do not assume length is the sole problem; the blade lie may also be mismatched. A practical lie check is to assume the natural skating position and inspect whether the blade lies flat (Pro Stock Hockey).

That is also why a standing face measurement cannot finish the fitting by itself. The useful test is whether the chosen length lets you keep an athletic posture, place the blade where you expect it and move the puck without rearranging your hands. For the body position behind that test, see how to hold a hockey stick in a ready stance.

Cut conservatively

Remove the butt-end tape and end cap, measure from the shaft end, and mark a square cut line. A fine-tooth saw is easier to control than a coarse blade. Cut a little long, reinstall the end cap, tape the handle and test the stick before shortening it again. You can always remove another half-inch; restoring length requires an extension.

Cutting also changes how the stick loads. The material’s standardized flex rating does not magically change, but shortening the working span between your hands and the blade makes the stick harder to bend in use. Bauer describes this as an increased flex number after cutting, while laboratory-style analysis explains the sensation through the shorter bending length (Bauer; Tennis Warehouse University). That distinction matters most when several inches are removed from a high-flex stick.

For a growing player, avoid buying far too long and cutting heavily just to preserve room for growth. Start with an appropriate shaft class and usable flex, then use a modest extension later if needed. The right final length is the one that survives all three checks: face-height baseline, natural on-ice stance and comfortable blade contact.