6 Best Hockey Sticks for Forwards in 2023

Choosing the perfect hockey stick on offense can be a tough decision to make with a ton of options available.

I made a list below of the best hockey sticks for forwards, including a quick summary of my top 3 choices.

There are many ways to shoot the puck, but your main options are wrist shots, snapshots and slapshots - with the one-timer in the back pocket.

In fact, most NHL goals come off the wrist shots and snapshots.

Don't believe me? I did a study on this a few seasons back on my blog post How Most NHL Goals are Scored.

Combined, the wrist shot and snapshot make up 67% of all goals. And the percentage would probably be higher if we isolate goals scored only by forwards.

That said, forwards should look into a stick that focuses on one or both shot types. 

The elements of the stick that can help you get the most out of each shot includes the kick point, flex and the blade curve.

Ideal Stick Flex and Kick Point for Wrist and Snapshots

Before I give you my recommendations for sticks, you should know which features are best suited for snapshots.

When shooting the puck, you’ll want to get plenty of arc in the shaft, while getting the quickest kickback from the stick blade.

This would suggest you’re looking at a stick with low flex value and low kick point.

The same features are also recommended for wrist shots, which account for 51.8% of all NHL goals.

However, the top 50 NHL goal scorers tell another story…

Kick Point

Almost half the players (24) elected to go with a hybrid or mid-low kick point. Meanwhile, only 19 players chose a stick with low kick point option.

Hybrid models are used by both Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews – who have especially dangerous snapshots. Both currently use the CCM Jetspeed models.

On the other hand, players like Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby opt for the low kick point sticks.

They both use the CCM Ribcor Trigger Pros.

Stick Flex

The choice of stick flex is slightly easier to decide on.

Simply, take your current weight in pounds (lbs) and divide it by 2.

For example, I’m 160 lbs and I fall right in between two flex options with a score of 80 (160/2). 

My choices are either 75 or 85 flex, but I’ve now settled comfortably with the 75-flex option. Hence, more stick flexibility (or whip) while loading up on a shot.

And just before we go into the full list, keep in mind to check out some of my other popular titles covering hockey sticks.

Blade Curve

As for the blade curve, you’ll be looking at either the toe or mid curve options. 

That’s because the farther away the blade curve is from the shaft, the easier it is to lift the puck on the follow-through.

Furthermore, it allows for better stick handling and seamless passing.

While the CCM Ribcor is my choice, any model detailed above would be just as good a choice.

Once you determine the features that best suit your game type, you can always test out a similar brand or model for comparison.

For each stick in my list, I recommend my preferred blade curve.

But you can refer to the full list from the following link. It includes cross brand comparisons as well.

Best Hockey Sticks for Forwards

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1. CCM Jetspeed FT6 Pro (US | CAN)

Used by Auston Matthews & Mika Zibanejad

3. Bauer Nexus Sync (US | CAN)

Used by Mikko Rantanen & David Pastrnak

4. Bauer Vapor Hyperlite 2 (US | CAN)

Used by Nikita Kucherov & Artemi Panarin

5. Warrior Alpha LX2 Pro (US | CAN)

Used by Brad Marchand & Jake Guentzel

6. Bauer AG5NT (US | CAN)

Used by Patrick Kane & Jonathan Marchessault

Which stick should I buy?

Choosing a composite stick should be based both on your hockey experience and your budget.

If you are new to hockey, you might want to get a feel for your stick. It’s very hard to determine this even if you’re at the store holding the stick. 

You’ll want to battle test the stick during a game or practice.

So, I always recommend for beginners to buy a budget-friendly model such as the CCM Jetspeed FT670 (Canada Here). 

When it comes to more competitive players, you should consider sticks in the super lightweight or lightweight class.

Just note that the lighter the stick, the more you’ll be dishing out top dollar.

Personally, I’ve been using the CCM Ribcor Trigger Pro series for years now. The current model available is the CCM Ribcor Trigger 8 Pro (Canada Here).

As noted earlier, I prefer the 75 flex and I’ve comfortably toggled between the MacKinnon (P40) and Crosby (P29) blade curves. 

These are designated as mid and toe curves respectively. Which simply refers to where the arc initiates on the blade.

As a note, I’m not a fan of heel curves. 

I’ve had difficulty stick handling or toe dragging the puck with them and my slapshot was way off. It was a major nightmare for me.

Final Thoughts

Let me know which is your favorite stick for snapshots.

Is there a brand you think stands out more than the others? I’m always open to testing out something new and give you my feedback.

Drop a comment below with your thoughts.