Knob Size for Small Hands and Youth Gloves

The knob is the built-up tape at the top of the stick. It stops the stick sliding out of the top hand and gives a player something to grab. Bauer’s buying guide notes that most players build one with tape. For a child, the question is how small to keep it.

For adult sizing, styles and the pros who go huge, see how big should a hockey stick knob be. This article is about small hands.

Why smaller is better for kids

Youth sticks are built for small hands. CCM describes its youth sticks as designed to fit smaller hands, and Pro Stock Hockey notes that youth shafts have a smaller circumference for the same reason. A big knob on a thin shaft undoes that.

GoalieMonkey’s taping guide makes the same point for any player: bigger hands can take a thicker knob, and smaller hands may prefer a slimmer one.

The glove test

Do this with your child wearing the gloves they play in.

1. Wrap a few times over the same spot at the very top of the shaft.
2. Have your child grip the stick with the top hand, the way they hold it on the ice.
3. Check the little finger. HockeyMonkey’s test is to stop when it wraps comfortably around the knob.
4. If it does not, add two or three wraps and check again.

Stop early rather than late. Taking a knob down means unwinding or cutting tape, which is more work than adding a wrap.

Knob styles that suit small hands

The knob styles page shows each one in 3D. For young players:

• Simple. A few wraps right at the top. The smallest and lightest option, and the easiest to build.
• Candy cane. A spiral of tape down the shaft below a small knob. HockeyMonkey says it is popular with younger players. HockeyMonkey suggests about 1.5 to 2 inches between wraps of the spiral.
• Extended. A longer wrap for players who slide the top hand down. HockeyMonkey says handle tape commonly runs about 4 to 10 inches. On a youth stick, start near the short end.

Ladder and full-grip handles put more tape on the shaft. If a simple knob does the job, there is no need for them.

Gloves change the answer

The glove test only holds for the glove you tested with. Recheck when:

• Your child gets new gloves.
• The stick is cut or extended, which moves the top of the shaft.
• They say the stick slips out of their hand, or that it feels stuck.

Cover the end, whatever size you build

A small knob still has to cover the end of the shaft.

• Hockey Canada Rule 3.3(d): the end of the shaft of every stick must be covered to protect against injury. A hollow shaft also needs a protective cap.
• USA Hockey Rule 301(a): the end of a hollow shaft must be fully covered.

If you cut a composite stick to length, you remove the factory end cap. Fit a cap or plug, then tape over the end. Let the first wrap hang slightly over the edge and fold it down over the butt end.

Quick build for a youth knob

1. Cap the end if the stick has been cut.
2. Start at the very top with the first wrap overhanging slightly.
3. Fold the overhang over the end.
4. Wrap over the same spot, checking with the glove on.
5. Finish with a few smooth wraps down the shaft so the edge does not peel.

The forward tutorial shows these steps in 3D. For the blade, see how to tape a kid’s hockey stick.

Safety: Hockey Canada’s rule says the end is covered to protect against injury. Check the end cap and tape whenever you retape, and replace a cap that has split or come loose.