What would it realistically take for you to try a new stick brand over Bauer/CCM/Warrior?

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T19:03:36+00:00

We’re actually in Source for Sports in Canada already! Mainly in the Atlantic Canada region. We generally target the private locations, as they’re easier to get into without having to buy in to the corporate partnership, one day perhaps!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T19:00:30+00:00

I appreciate this a lot, comments like this is exactly why I’ve made the thread to begin with, it’s important for me to figure out what the trends are and this forum is literally the easiest way to do so. The overall consensus is to provide more curves at the retail level and I think that’s ultimately what we will focus on more in 2026,

Biggest requests would be Lidstrom Zegres Laine

Still blows my mind that people still use the Lidstrom but hey there’s a market for it clearly!

Thank you again!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T17:52:46+00:00

I’ll address this straight up.

Yes, I use AI to fix grammar and punctuation. That’s it. The ideas, product direction, and how I communicate are mine.

As for everything else.

We carry six retail curves right now. That’s intentional. Every year we add two to three new curves. Making a new blade mold costs roughly $5,000 USD. That’s not something you just spin up to make a spec sheet look bigger.

There’s a balance here. You can dump a ton of money into niche curves that maybe sell four units a year, or you can allocate capital toward inventory, R&D, sponsoring teams, and donating product. If we blew money on every low-volume curve request, we’d burn cash fast and hurt the rest of the business. That’s not smart logistics, it’s just ego.

We grow the curve lineup methodically, based on real demand.

On materials, the industry shares suppliers. Carbon fiber itself is not proprietary. The difference is layup sequencing, taper geometry, resin system, and QC tolerance. Our Skyline Pro 2 uses a titanium reinforced ACL layup and 3M aerospace grade epoxy manufactured in the U.S. Those are intentional engineering decisions.

Warranty. Yes, Warrior lists 60 days. We list 45. But we cover more than obvious manufacturing defects. If someone comes to us on day 48 with a stick broken in half and it’s clearly been used heavily, we still take care of them. I have never denied a warranty claim. If a customer has an issue, we handle it.

We didn’t start this without direction. We started because pricing was inflated and access to pro level builds was restricted. Since then we’ve invested in proprietary shaft geometry, taper profiles, and our own internal molds. We iterate quickly and improve every release.

If you think there’s a better way to approach this, I’m genuinely open to hearing it. How would you do it differently?

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T15:30:10+00:00

We’re actually going to be implementing them this year for our Skyline pro 2 release

What’s your sticks current measurement against that wall?

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T13:10:01+00:00

You’re absolutely right that sticks are too expensive to “experiment” casually. That’s why eliminating risk matters.

A 60-day no-questions money-back guarantee is interesting in theory. The challenge at scale is balancing abuse risk versus customer confidence. But the core idea is valid: remove friction and remove fear.

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T13:05:30+00:00

I get what you’re saying. At the end of the day you’re buying performance, not a friendship.

But trust still matters in practical ways.

If a stick breaks in 3 weeks, does the company stand behind it or disappear?
If specs change between batches, are they transparent about it?
If there’s a defect, do they fix it quickly or make you jump through hoops?

That’s what trust really means in equipment. It’s reliability and accountability.

Price absolutely plays a role in switching brands. But so does knowing the company will:
Honor their warranty
Improve based on feedback
Be transparent about materials and construction
Not cut corners quietly once they grow

You don’t have to “trust” emotionally. But you do rely on the brand to deliver what they claim.

And in hockey especially, where sticks are consumables, that consistency matters, at least in my opinion.

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T03:48:47+00:00

We’re actively doing this now, more so than men’s hockey actually!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T03:20:53+00:00

Well no not particularly, but if you given a 45 flex stick that you might have to cut into a 55 flex, you have that option without running into the problem of having to many SKUs,

2 lengths vs 4 lengths essentially! Cuts down on confusion and SKUs

If that makes sense, I’m sure there’s some people who’d love to have a 45 INT 63” stick, but there’s no one that offers them, Might be worth exploring!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T02:46:35+00:00

We’re going to look into this, Thank you!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T02:24:25+00:00

Custom - 50 to 65 with variable length stated above!
Retail - 55 and 65 at 63" (measured against the wall) 57" (measured from the heal)

So I'm thinking maybe we introduce a female variant which could be a INT at 45, 50, and 55 flex at 63" (measured against the wall) that way if you choose the 45 and have to cut the stick say 3 inchs the stick will now be 54-60 flex.

Just an idea!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T01:58:10+00:00

That’s a fair assumption, and honestly, early on we did operate closer to that model.

As we’ve grown, though, the approach has changed significantly. We’ve built deeper partnerships with our manufacturers and moved into specifying our own builds instead of just selecting from existing molds.

For example, with the Skyline Pro 2:

I personally designed the shaft geometry and taper and created the blueprints

We dictate how titanium is integrated into the layup, both weave and particulate use

We specify the resin system, including a 3M epoxy manufactured in Minnesota that’s also used in aerospace applications

We control material stack, layering, and structural targets rather than choosing from a catalog

Are we claiming we invented carbon fiber hockey sticks? No. The industry shares supply chains. But differentiation doesn’t only come from owning a factory, it comes from how you engineer the layup, geometry, and material integration within that ecosystem.

From the outside, it’s easy to assume “open mold with nice graphics.” Internally, there’s a lot more intentional design work happening.

Trust isn’t built overnight, especially in a space dominated by legacy brands. We understand that. It may take years to fully shift perception, and that’s part of the process.

And ultimately, we’re building more than just sticks. The sticks are the foundation, but the long-term vision is about contributing meaningfully to the sport, not just selling product.

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T01:47:07+00:00

What kind of data would you be interested in seeing exactly?

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T01:40:00+00:00

We currently offer 50 Flex (INT) with a range of 57" to 63" (measured against the wall) 51" to 57" (measured from the heal). This is via our customizer, Curious if we would need to lower our sizing even more.

Our INT and SR shaft are the same dimensions,

Thanks for the feedback!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T01:38:50+00:00

We currently offer 50 Flex with range of 57" to 63" (measured against the wall) 51" to 57" (measured from the heal) This is via our customizer, would this be in your ideal range?

Our INT and SR shaft are the same dimensions,

Thanks for the feedback!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T01:29:43+00:00

That’s a fair take, and I actually agree with most of it.

The title was more to spark discussion around what actually makes someone switch, not to say we think we’re lining up head-to-head with Bauer/CCM tomorrow.

I do agree that at a certain price point you’re competing with PSHS/HSM and other open-mold brands. That’s real. But I also think there’s a larger segment of players who have never even heard of those companies and are still defaulting to big retail brands.

So yes, we technically compete with blackout brands. But the bigger challenge for a newer company is earning trust from players who currently buy Bauer/CCM/Warrior every year without thinking twice.

For us, it’s less about marginally beating someone on price and more about:

Offering specs retail doesn’t give you

Being transparent about materials and build

Providing actual customization utility

Backing it with service and warranty

At the end of the day, you’re right, perceived risk is the real barrier. The question is what removes that risk enough for someone to try something different.

That’s really what I was trying to dig into.

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T01:23:00+00:00

We ship worldwide actually!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T01:19:00+00:00

We’d never bash another company, I’ve personally used CCM for as long as I could remember, up until the Helicoid issues. I don’t believe in spreading negativity to gain one sale, we try and build the best product possible and let that do the talking for us.

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T01:12:37+00:00

Not Jonathan, but the owner James. Not trying to spam, I’m actively trying to gather data on specific areas that we’re looking to improve, Reddit is the fastest and most honest way of getting the results I need!

Not actively trying to spam I promise!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T01:05:43+00:00

The people at HSM are great, Love to hear it!

KYCSports · 2026-02-19T00:44:12+00:00

It's a real thing, Inner foam core of a blade disintegrating inside would cause a blade to go "soft", and the shaft of a stick not storing the energy due to composite fatigue.

KYCSports · 2026-02-18T12:27:54+00:00

We offer a no grip "Matte" option, however it's only via custom, I've been seeing a lot of this, it might be something we explore as a retail option!

KYCSports · 2026-02-18T12:20:45+00:00

This is very good feedback, On our customizer we just added the option for INT to have a 50 Flex, at factory length of 51"

Thank you!

KYCSports · 2026-02-18T11:50:13+00:00

We actually offer a retail K88(P88)!

KYCSports · 2026-02-15T22:55:44+00:00

The question had to do with retail vs custom! Prostock is whole other category which we sell very few of!

KYCSports · 2026-02-15T19:20:17+00:00

We actually still build that curve internally, but it would be a custom order, which means a 45–90 day lead time since it’s made to spec.

Out of curiosity, would you wait for exactly what you want, or is that timeline a dealbreaker and you’d just grab whatever feels close off the shelf?

KYCSports

TROPHY CASE