Hockey stick length and lie

In shoes, a stick usually reaches about your nose; on skates, between your chin and your nose. Bauer puts it at chin to bottom lip on skates. Shorter sticks help puck control, longer ones add reach and slap-shot power, and cutting a stick makes it stiffer.

Length

In shoes, stand the stick upright with the toe of the blade on the floor: it should reach about your nose.^1,2
On skates it should reach between your chin and your nose. Bauer says between your chin and bottom lip.^1,3,4
Shorter sticks help stickhandling and a quick release in tight spaces; longer sticks add reach and slap-shot power. Defensemen usually go longer, forwards shorter.^3,4
When in doubt, buy it a little long: you can cut a stick down but you can't add length back, except with an end plug.^3,2
Cut a little at a time. Cutting more than once doesn't hurt the stick's construction.⁵
For kids who are still growing, the top of the stick shouldn't go above eye level.⁵
In the NHL, shafts can be up to 63 inches (65 by exemption for players 6'6" and taller), and curves can be at most 3/4 inch deep. Most leagues use the same curve limit.²

Cutting changes flex. Cutting a stick raises its flex number and an end plug lowers it. Bauer prints the new flex on the shaft of most of its sticks, and most composite sticks carry a cut chart. Use that chart: retailer rules of thumb range from 3% to 10% stiffer per inch cut.^1,2,4,5

Stick sizes by level

Level	Bauer	CCM	Typical range	Flex
Senior	60" to 62"	59" to 62"	56" to 63"	60 to 110^10,11,2,4
Intermediate	58"	55" to 57"	54" to 57"	50 to 75^12,11,2,4
Junior	50" to 54"	49" to 52"	46" to 54"	30 to 50^13,11,2,4
Youth	46"	–	38" to 46"	10 to 45^14,2,4

Lie

Lie is the angle between the blade and the shaft. A higher number means a more upright shaft.^3,2
Retail lies run from 4.0 to 6.0 in half steps, and almost every current curve sits between 5 and 6. Each step is about 2 degrees (lie 5 is about 43°, lie 6 about 45°).^2,6
A retail stick's lie comes with its curve, so you pick a lie by picking a curve. Brands publish it for some curves: Bauer P92 is a 6 and P28 a 5; True T92 is a 6.^2,6,7,8
A lower lie suits players who skate low with the puck out in front; a higher lie suits players who stand more upright with the puck close.⁹
The check: in your normal skating stance, the blade should sit flat on the ice. If it rests on its heel or its toe, the lie (or the length) is off.⁹
Getting the length right fixes most lie problems, so adjust length before changing curves.^2,6

Not sure about flex? Use the stick flex calculator. Curves are in the curve chart.

Compare sticks

Hockey stick length and lie

Length

Stick sizes by level

Lie

Sources