Vaughn VCS Pro Padded Goalie Shirt Review — New BNQ Neck Collar, Plus VPP-1 Pants
Three Vaughn base-layer shirts, now with a BNQ-certified neck option, plus new padded pants
Kevin Woodley is back at The Hockey Shop Source for Sports with Jonathan “Jono” Holloway, sitting in again for Cam, to walk through Vaughn’s new VCS Pro padded shirts. The padded shirt is a common sight under NHL chest protectors, and the new line adds something the old one never had: a BNQ-certified neck collar. There is a bonus too, the new VPP-1 Pro padded pants, and a tip for using the removable pads to look a little bigger in the net.
- All three VCS Pro shirts feature a BNQ-certified neck collar, satisfying league rules that require BNQ certification even when paired with a non-certified neck guard.
- The VCS-3 Pro is a pure compression base layer with no padding — useful only for the BNQ collar compliance — while the VCS-1 Pro adds removable pads at the wrists, biceps, shoulders, chest, and ribs.
- All pads in the VCS-1 and VCS-2 are removable, making washing easier and allowing goalies to reposition padding to suit their preferences.
- Doubling up by moving the bicep pad into the shoulder pocket raises the chest protector and creates a bulkier appearance in the net with added protection.
- Vaughn now offers matching VPP-1 Pro padded pants to complement the shirt line.
Vaughn’s VCS Pro line comes in three shirts, and the differences between them come down to two things: padding and the neck collar.
VCS-3 Pro: a base layer with a BNQ neck
The simplest of the three has no padding at all. It is a regular compression base layer, but the collar is BNQ-certified, so you get protection from skate cuts and other sharp edges, and you can still wear your own neck guard over top for shot protection. If you play in a league that requires BNQ and your favourite neck guard isn’t certified, this is the layer that satisfies the rule. All three shirts also have a mesh back for ventilation, which matters most on the padded models, where heat builds up.
VCS-1 Pro: padded, now with BNQ
This is the padded shirt goalies already know, now with the BNQ collar that previous Vaughn padded shirts didn’t offer. The padding covers the wrists, biceps, shoulders and chest, plus the ribs on each side, and Jono believes the wrist padding is new. Every pad is removable, so you can take them out to wash the shirt without soaking the padding, or move them where you want them.
Hutch’s tip: double up the shoulder
Take the bicep pad out and slide it into the shoulder to double the thickness there. Your chest protector sits a little higher on top of it, you look a little bulkier in the net, and you get a little extra protection.
VCS-2 Pro: padded, no collar
This is the same shirt as the VCS-1, with the same padding locations and the same ventilation, minus the neck collar. It suits goalies who don’t want the collar, or who already wear a BNQ-certified neck guard. The shirts come in a few colourways, including red. There is no white, which Kevin calls a one-time use.
Bonus: VPP-1 Pro padded pants
Vaughn now makes padded pants to go with the shirts, with ventilation front, back and sides, Velcro to hold up your socks, and a removable knee pad that adds a little cushion when you drop into your butterfly. Questions about sizing or BNQ requirements go to the goalie experts at The Hockey Shop Source for Sports at goalie@thehockeyshop.com, or @THSgoal on social.
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