As a sport, ice hockey is not a pick and go kind of game. Sure, you could strap on a pair of skates and grab a stick and get to playing a game of pick-up hockey on your local frozen pond, but to play on an ice rink with a team you are going to need a (big) bag of equipment.
Starting from the top down, here is everything you are going to need as the bare bones of ice hockey gear:
Required Hockey Gear
Helmet with face cage
The helmet protects the head and, yes, a full face cage is required for youth players. The face cage can be either metal or clear. This is the mouthguard are the only pieces that I would recommend always buying brand new.
Mouth Guard
Protects the teeth, tongue, and general mouth area. Even with a full cage helmet you are required to have one on your person in a game.
Neck Protector
A newer requirement by USA Hockey for all youth players. No exceptions. The neck guard protects the neck from cuts. Different styles are available from just a piece that straps around your neck to a full shirt with built in neck guard.
Shoulder Pad
The shoulder pad does more than just protect your shoulders, it also provides protection for your chest, upper back, and upper arms.
Elbow Pads
Elbow pads protect your mid-upper arm to mid-lower arm.
Gloves
Gloves are worn on the hands and protect your hands, wrists, and lower arms.
Jersey
The over shirt for hockey players. Technically, you could play without one during an informal game or practice, but it would be required for games.
Jock/Jill
Come in different styles from shorts to leggings that hold the protective cup in place. They also have velcro strips on the front and back that attach to your hockey socks. Jock = boys. Jill = girls.
Hockey Pants
Padded protective shorts that not only protect your bum when you fall, but also protect your legs from getting cut from a wayward skate blade and protect your lower torso from impacts and falls.
Shin Guards
If you are familiar with shine guards in soccer, these are pretty much the same, but with the added knee protection piece.
Hockey Socks
Not to be confused with the socks you wear on your feet. These are knit or polyester leg coverings that attach to your jock/jill baselayer and go to your ankles.
Hockey Skates
No surprise here, but hockey skates are a required piece of equipment. Just make sure you are using and have HOCKEY skates – no figure skates please.
Stick
Made of wood or composite, the stick allows you to shoot and pass the puck while playing.
Bag
All of this needs to be transported easily to and from the rink, so a bag is definitely a required piece of equipment. Different styles are available from shoulder carry, backpack, and roller. Personally, I recommend a roller bag for younger youth players as it is much easier for them to handle.
Optional Hockey Gear
Cut Resistant Base Layers
With the creation of the USA Hockey neck protector requirement more and more cut resistant base layers have come out on the market. Some are long sleeve shirts with the neck protector, some also include wrist guards, long legging type pants with lower leg guards, and even just wrist guards. Excepting the neck guard, these are not required, but give many parents and players peace of mind.
Adding the Costs Up and How to Save
If you were adding to cart along the way on purehockey.com, you can see that all of this together adds up to a pretty penny. $442 worth of pennies to be exact. However, there are ways to keep costs down.
First, try to buy second hand if that makes sense for your finances. There are great places to find used gear and most youth gear is barely used long enough to justify the price tag. Just make sure you are able to try it on and ensure fit before purchasing. Options include hand-me-downs from older players, Play It Again Sports, local sports stores, and Facebook Marketplace. You can even ask your rink if they have any pieces that were abandoned after a certain amount of time in the lost and found and they are willing to get rid of.
Just to give you a comparison, I was able to outfit 2 kids with full hockey gear with a mix of mostly used and a few new items for about $400 by shopping first at Play It Again Sports. That’s an incredible savings!
Just don’t get discouraged by the price that comes with kitting out your youth hockey player. There are options when it comes to finding affordable gear, you just need to look around.
Are you a seasoned pro at buying youth hockey gear? Let us know your best tips and places to buy in the comments!
