Pro-Gear: Stick Taping with Braden Holtby
- Holtby's large knob tape job is a functional choice — the oversized knob helps him quickly recover a stick that has been knocked away during play.
- Stick taping is highly personal: goaltenders vary their approach across the blade, paddle, and knob based on grip preference and puckhandling style.
- Holtby's core taping technique has remained consistent since before his NHL career, regardless of stick brand or construction changes.
- He transitioned from a traditional foam core stick to a full composite Warrior stick, but kept his tape job largely the same.
- Some goaltenders prefer grip tape on the paddle for added control, while others like a clean paddle surface — Holtby's setup reflects a deliberate choice for stick recovery over grip.
Braden Holtby sat down with us while training a few summers ago to walk us through his unique tape job, demonstrating with a new stick while doing a Q & A with our Kevin Woodley.
Almost every goaltender has their own unique way of taping a stick. From the blade to the grip and of course the knob, there are almost as many variations out there now as there are goaltenders. Some prefer a strong grip aided by grip tape, others like it clean on the paddle. Some employ a small easy to handle knob for better puckhandling while others, like Braden Holtby in today’s video, have enormous tape jobs that make it easier to recover a lost stick.
We were fortunate to sit down with Holtby for this video – a full 10-minute walk through and Q & A – that demonstrates his entire tape job while offering plenty of explanations for the choices he has made. At the time we made this video Holtby was using a traditional foam core stick but many eagle-eyed members out there will know that he has since switched both the brand and the construction of his stick working now with a full composite twig from Warrior. The tape job though will remain largely the same, as most of his technique has been with him since long before he entered the NHL.
At the end of the video you’ll see he signed the stick for us – and it sat in the InGoal Office for quite a while – but not anymore – we pulled a member’s name at random and it now belongs to Jared Lovie of Sherwood Park, AB now! Congratulations Jared.
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