Choosing and Taping a Stick for Women's Hockey

There is no separate stick rulebook for women. The same sizes, flexes and tape jobs apply to everyone. What differs is which sizes fit. CCM, for one, now sells a line it markets for women.

Start with length

Length comes first because it changes everything else, including flex and where your knob sits.

Bauer’s buying guide says a stick should reach about your nose in shoes, or between your chin and bottom lip in skates. HockeyStickMan’s guide gives a similar check: standing flat-footed, the stick should land between your bottom lip and the bottom of your nose.

Intermediate or senior?

The size names describe stick dimensions, not who should use them. Here is how Bauer and CCM chart the two:

Brand	Size	Flex	Length	Player height	Player weight
Bauer	Intermediate	55 or 65	57 in	5’2” to 5’10”	90 to 145 lb
Bauer	Senior	70, 77 or 87	60 in	5’5” to 6’2”	110 to 190+ lb
CCM	Intermediate	65	57 in	5’2” to 5’10”	110 to 150 lb
CCM	Senior	75 or 85	59 in	5’5” to 6’2”	130 to 190+ lb

The heights overlap. A player between 5’5” and 5’10” could fit either size on both charts, so weight and the flex you want decide it.

HockeyStickMan notes that intermediate sticks are popular among adult women. It also points out another option: an extended-height intermediate stick, which gives you an intermediate flex at senior length.

Flex

Bauer recommends starting a little below half your body weight. Remember that cutting a stick shorter makes it stiffer, and an extension makes it softer, Bauer says.

In a 2012 article by women’s coach Amey Doyle, Bauer’s then manager of pro custom products, Joel Bergeron, said women should generally use lower flexes and that only a few should go stiffer than 80. See what flex women’s players use for more, including the flexes national-team players used at the time.

Women’s-specific sticks

CCM sells a Jetspeed FTW line it labels for women. CCM calls the FTW Pro “the first-ever, elite level hockey stick crafted and designed for women.” Its listed specs, when we checked in October 2026:

• Intermediate: flexes 50, 55, 60 and 65; lengths listed as 56, 58 and 60.
• Senior: flexes 65 and 70; one length, listed as 60.
• Curves: 90TM, P28+ and P29+.
• Blade: an X-soft blade that CCM describes as the blade profile most requested by female pro players.

These are not the only choice. Any stick of the right length and flex works. The women’s line is one more option, not a requirement.

Taping it

Nothing about tape changes for women’s hockey. Hockey Canada Rule 3.3(e) allows tape of any colour, and the rules on covering the shaft end apply to every stick. The forward and defence tutorials cover the steps. (US readers: defense.)

What is worth adjusting is the knob:

• Size it to your glove. HockeyMonkey’s test is to stop building when your little finger wraps comfortably around the knob with gloves on. A smaller glove calls for a smaller knob.
• Handle tape. HockeyMonkey says handle tape commonly runs 4 to 10 inches down the shaft. If you slide your top hand, an extended knob helps.

See how big should a hockey stick knob be.

A simple process

1. Check length in skates.
2. Pick intermediate or senior by height, then weight.
3. Choose a flex a little under half your weight.
4. Cut if needed, remembering that adds stiffness.
5. Cap the end, then tape the blade and knob.

Safety: if you cut a composite stick, replace the end cap before taping. Hockey Canada Rule 3.3(d) requires the end of every shaft to be covered, with a cap on hollow shafts.