Understanding your hockey skate profile can help your on ice performance since your profile caters to your play style. Goalie style especially has changed over the years, and it's important that your skate profile changes with it.

What is the best profile for skates?

what profile is best? A smaller profile (7′) will make less contact with the ice than a larger profile (13′). Less ice contact (7′) allows for greater maneuverability and acceleration, but also digs into the ice more than a larger profile (13′), which means slower top speeds and increased fatigue.

Do skates come profiled?

When you buy a new pair of skates they come with a factory grind on the steel. It is recommended that you get them profiled before skating in them. The most common profiles are 7 foot 9 foot 11 foot and 13 foot. Most players go with a 9 foot radius, but there are many options to consider.

Should I contour my skates?

Answer: Simply put, blade contouring is beneficial for all players at any level and age. In fact, over the years of gathering feedback from players, coaches and parents, the more drastic results are noticeable in younger players as they are working on establishing proper skating technique and balance.

What skate profile does Connor McDavid use?

Connor McDavid uses custom Tydan Performance Blades. Connor McDavid runs a 10' profile. We sell Tydan Performance Blades. We profile steel.

What Hollow does Crosby use?

Around 3:44, he mentions that Crosby used to prefer a deeper hollow, but now uses a 1/2" hollow.

What skate edge do NHL players use?

A hockey skate doesn't have a single edge, like a knife. It's a 3-millimeter-wide piece of steel hollowed out down the middle in an inverted U to create two edges. An NHL player uses both edges on both skates, like a skier shifting weight from side to side during turns.

What is the best skate profile for defenseman?

Prosharp recommends a quad profile for players who need to cover a lot of ice. It is the ideal profile for centers and defense. You will feel balanced on your skates when transitioning from gliding to striding. This profile maximizes full stride length.

What skate blades do NHL players use?

More than two-thirds of NHL players wear Bauer skates. Some of those players may use aftermarket blades (more on those in a bit), but when Bauer introduces a new runner, it's usually a big deal. The LIGHTSPEED 5 Carbon EDGE, new for 2018, is no exception.

Can Sparx profile skates?

But, unlike traditional manual sharpening which alters the profile after 15-20 sharpenings, the Sparx Sharpener will hold the skate profile throughout the life of the steel thanks to the consistent RPM, Speed, and Pressure applied by our Grinding Rings.

What skate profile does Sidney Crosby use?

A good example of a player using a neutral Profile is Sidney Crosby. He utilizes a 30/60 Cag Profile. The total flat ground onto his blades is 60mm or about 2.36 inches. The number 30 (1.18 inches) tells you how much of that 60mm of flat is ground forward of blade center.

What hockey skate profile is right for me?

A smaller profile such as 8 to 9 feet is excellent for agility, quick starts and stops, and quick acceleration. The downside to a smaller profile is that you bite more into the ice.

What does skate blade profiling do?

Boiled down to its essence, performance profiling is about customizing the shape of a hockey skate blade to put more blade in contact with the ice (with the attendant gains in top speed, stability and efficiency), while preserving the agility and explosiveness that are essential to the game of hockey.

How much does it cost to profile skates?

Price for profiling is $25.00 and the skates need to be left overnight.

Do longer skate blades make you faster?

This lower pressure results in less friction, thus a player will be slightly faster using a longer profile than a shorter profile (which will dig in more due to the increased pressure as a result of less blade contact).

What hollow do figure skaters use?

Most figure skaters get their skates sharpened with a radius of hollow in a range between flatter 10/16 (or 5/8) and deeper 6/16 (or 3/8) of an inch.

What skates do pros wear?

As of August 2019, Bauer's three top-of-the-line skates from each equipment line are as follows: Vapor 2X Pro, Supreme 2S Pro, and Nexus 2N. The Vapor 2X Pro skates are some of the most popular skates in the NHL — the 2019-20 season will see plenty of these on the ice.

What skate sharpening Do pros use?

The majority of pros use something with a shallower hollow, but preference does widely vary. I used a 5/8ths hollow, but as I got older and heavier, I switched to the less sharp 3/4ths.

Do NHL players sharpen their skates between periods?

In the NHL, players will have freshly sharpened skates for every game, but not in between periods.

What is Bauer power profile?

Bauer's Power Profile is a 4 Zoned Radii, known as a Quad profile. The blade shape is designed with 4 zones uniquely placed and designed for specific performance improvements during all types of edge work. • The first zone, located near the toe of the runner, is shaped to maximize acceleration.

What skate radius is for me?

Forwards generally prefer smaller radius than defense men of the same weight. Goalies generally prefer very large radius so that they can "kick out" without catching an edge. Figure: Most beginner and instructional skaters can skate on a 1/2" radius. A 5/8" radius will take care of most recreational skaters.

Do skate blades make a difference?

Shallow hollow edges penetrate less into the ice than deep hollow edges will. As a result, the blades ride more on top of the ice and you'll notice significant more glide. This reduced friction also means you can skate faster and use far less effort to keep your speed up, resulting in fresher legs as the game goes on.

What skate sharpening does Patrick Kane use?

With the Sparx Sharpener, elite players such as Patrick Kane, as well as players from all levels, are able to elevate their performance and gain an edge over their competition.

Are hockey skates harder than figure skates?

Hockey skates have a shorter, more curved blade which allows for more power to be generated and quicker turns but can make it harder to balance. With no toe pick, there is no risk of tripping, but also nothing to stop you from falling forward.

What do most NHL players sharpen their skates at?

The most common skate sharpening radius we see for ice hockey players is a 1/2″ inch or 5/8″ inch cut.