Gloves
Aside from keeping your hands warm, gloves offer protection from slashes and flying pucks. There are a ton of different glove styles, and each player has his or her own preference of what best-suits them.
Unfortunately, having a good pair of gloves will not make you a better hockey player, and having the wrong sized mitts will make passing, shooting, and stick-handling much more difficult. Before you start looking for a new pair, it’s important to know your size and which fit is best for you.
Styles
You can expect to see tapered, traditional, and anatomical glove fits in most ProShops and websites. The right choice depends on how snug or free you want your hands to feel in the glove.
- Tapered fits are how most of today’s gloves are constructed. They include extra space around the lower-hand and wrist areas.
- Traditional, or “classic” fits provide the most volume to give your hands plenty of breathing room.
- Anatomical gloves are form-fitting and provide minimal breathing room.
Sizing
If you’re planning on ordering gloves online, make sure you’ve tried on a few pairs beforehand. Playing with oversized or undersized gloves will create frustrating puck-handling restrictions.
Nobody wants to play hockey will mittens or boxing gloves. To measure your size, open your palm and take the length from the base of your middle finger to the crease of your elbow.
| Age Group | Size (in) | Base of finger to elbow (in) |
| YOUTH | 8 | 7 – 8 |
| 9 | 8 – 9 | |
| JUNIOR | 10 | 9 – 10 |
| 11 | 10 – 11 | |
| 12 | 11 – 12 | |
| SENIOR | 13 | 12 – 13 |
| 14 | 13 – 14 | |
| 15 | 14 – 15 |
Basic v. High-End
Although many high-end gloves include some extra bells-and-whistles like grip-texture palms or shock-absorbing pads, they probably won’t turn you into a dangling machine overnight. Although expensive models do not enhance stick-handling ability, you can expect them to last longer than most lower-level gloves. If you’ve had problems with palms tearing in the past, a more expensive pair may be the right decision for you. Otherwise, as long as you have the right size, you’ll be best off with whatever feels most comfortable.