… LIGHTEST CCM GOALIE STICK EVER … NEW GEOMETRY ON A SHORTER SHAFT … SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED DURABILITY, SAY PROS
Three things jumped out to Devon Levi when he first tried (and taped up) the new CCM XF Pro stick in Montreal last summer: how light it was, how good it looked, and the unique new shape, geometry and tapering on the totally redesigned shaft.
One year later, after using the XF Pro stick in the NHL this season, the Buffalo Sabres goalie shared more insights on the new stick just as it became available to the rest of us goalies at retail, including the fact it changed how he tapes up the handle.
In fact, with the new tapered shaft geometry, Levi doesn’t use grip tape there anymore, like he did in this video after first seeing and holding the new stick last summer:
Just under one year later, Levi likes the new shape even more and the grip tape is gone.
Based on feedback from a handful of pros up to the NHL, the new XF Pro shaft geometry, which starts with a traditional rectangle (with rounded edges) or what CCM calls a “T” shape at the top, then tapers to a “V” down near the paddle, was a big improvement.
Canucks prospect Ty Young, who played last season for the Prince George Cougars in the Western Hockey League, believes he can feel a difference when handling the puck.
“I feel like I have a better grip on the different curvature of the shaft instead of a square shaft,” Young said. “It’s way easier to slide up and grab for sure. I love it. It feels way better. I feel like I’m way stronger on my stick and have a better grip of the puck.”
“It’s like a lacrosse stick almost, it fits your hand really nicely and I feel like there’s a lot of control to it as well,” said Wolf, who was in another brand prior to trying the XF Pro.
The changes in the XF Pro that contribute to those improved feelings of control go beyond the new shaft shape, however, and we’ll get to those shortly. But first, the other thing that first jumps out about CCM’s newest stick is how much lighter the XF Pro feels.
“It’s super light, lighter than the other CCM sticks I was using before,” Levi said of his EFlex 5 ProLite. “I really think they upgraded from that stick to this one. It’s considerably lighter.”
So, just how light is the CCM XF Pro?
At 580 grams on a 25-inch paddle, it’s a little more than 50 grams lighter than its EFlex predecessor but anecdotally seems even lighter to the pros we talked to, which might have something to do with improved balance through some of the other improvements.
“It’s really noticeable, they’re way, way, way lighter,” Young said.
Some of that weight reduction is likely from a shaft that is two inches shorter than previous CCM sticks, following a trend that saw other companies shorten the shaft in large part because Carey Price used a shorter-shafted (CCM) stick for improved puck handling.
It’s also improved the vibration dampening and feel the pros mentioned. The kick point is above the midpoint of the paddle (higher than the EFlex 5, according to CCM), and the flex feels just a little stiffer than that EFlex 5 model, though CCM has designated it a “regular” flex and it certainly does not feel as stiff as the old Premier 2 line of sticks, even the well-used models that InGoal still had on hand during this stick testing process.
That stiffer profile is designed to make it easier to handle dump ins and hard rims behind the net, a task also aided by the addition of a square toe now coming stock on their P1 (or Price) blade pattern as well as the P4 (Crawford) blade, which makes sense since Price himself switched to from a rounded to squared toe CCM stick for the same reason. Indeed, the improved handling of dump-ins was one of the first things that stood out to our testers at the Major Junior Level.
CCM also paid attention to another increasingly popular trend towards a steeper shoulder, which may have something to do with Stanley Cup and two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky’s preferred shape and grip. In addition to making their “steep” shoulder the stock option on senior sticks at retail, the new XF Pro comes with an exclusive new “double steep” shoulder which comes stock on junior (21 inch) sticks and as an option on the intermediate (23 inch) and senior models.
Of course, there is a customizer coming (soon) that allows you to design your own, and with how good the stick looks thanks in part to that flatter paddle and chrome effects that make the “CCM” lettering pop, we can’t wait to see some of the custom designs that emerge.
Perhaps the best news, however, is how long you can expect it to last. While the reality of any carbon fiber stick is anything can happen if a high-end shot catches it in just the right spot, the pros we talked too raved almost as much about the improved durability as they did the weight and feel, with Young saying his lasted three times as long in the WHL.
“This shaft is a lot sturdier,” Young said. “Way less breakage in the shaft.”
Rounded edges and a NanoLite Shield on the shaft also aid the durability.
“They’ve been holding up really well,” Levi said. “Surprisingly well actually.”
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