Most of the hits during the game are in the torso area. The proper shoulder pads help protect your shoulders, back, and chest from injury. Let’s find out what hockey shoulder pads are made of and how to choose the right size.
Shoulder pads
Hockey shoulder pads are basically composed of several parts:
- Front part. The main task is to protect the chest, lower abdomen.
- Rear part. The main task is to protect the spine.
- Shoulder cups. The main task is to protect the shoulder joint.
- Biceps protection. The name speaks for itself.
Each of these parts of the shoulder pads is given special attention. The top models of the leading brands offer a high level of protection combined with comfort and lightness, which undoubtedly makes a hockey player effective in various playing situations.
The best way to select the shoulder pads is to try them with the elbow pads and hockey pants you are wearing. There should be no open space between the pants and the shoulder pads on the backside. And the bicep guard should not interfere with the elbow pads. The height of the biceps protector is adjustable on most shoulder pads.
It is worth noting that the shoulder pads of different lines of the same brand have a different fit, so the same size in various lines can sit on a hockey player differently, not to mention the same size from other manufacturers.
Below I provide you with the shoulder pad size charts of CCM and BAUER.
Size chart of BAUER hockey shoulder pads
Youth
| Size | Age, yo | Weight, kg | Height, kg | Chest, cm |
|---|
| S | 4-7 | 18-27 | 98-124 | 56-66 |
| M | 5-8 | 20-29 | 109-132 | 58-69 |
| L | 6-9 | 23-32 | 114-140 | 61-71 |
Junior
| Size | Age, yo | Weight, kg | Height, kg | Chest, cm |
|---|
| S | 8-11 | 27-41 | 130-142 | 66-76 |
| M | 9-12 | 32-45 | 140-152 | 71-81 |
| L | 11-14 | 36-50 | 150-163 | 76-86 |
Senior
| Size | Age, yo | Weight, kg | Height, kg | Chest, cm |
|---|
| S | 14+ | 54-73 | 165-175 | 91-102 |
| M | 14+ | 64-82 | 170-180 | 97-107 |
| L | 15+ | 73-91 | 175-185 | 102-112 |
| XL | 15+ | 82-100 | 180-190 | 107-117 |
| XXL | 15+ | 91+ | 185+ | 112+ |
Size chart of CCM hockey shoulder pads
Youth
| Size | Age, yo | Weight, kg | Height, kg | Chest, cm |
|---|
| M | 5-8 | 20-29 | 102-122 | 58-64 |
| L | 6-9 | 23-32 | 122-132 | 64-71 |
Junior
| Size | Age, yo | Weight, kg | Height, kg | Chest, cm |
|---|
| S | 8-11 | 27-41 | 132-142 | 71-76 |
| M | 9-12 | 32-45 | 142-157 | 76-81 |
| L | 11-14 | 36-50 | 157-168 | 81-89 |
Senior
| Size | Age, yo | Weight, kg | Height, kg | Chest, cm |
|---|
| S | 14+ | 54-73 | 163-170 | 86-94 |
| M | 14+ | 64-82 | 170-178 | 94-102 |
| L | 15+ | 73-91 | 178-188 | 102-109 |
| XL | 15+ | 82+ | 183+ | 109+ |
Every manufacturer has its own table of recommendations for hockey shoulder pads. Below I have tried to unify everything into one table for ease of use.
Unified hockey shoulder pads size chart
Youth
| Size | Age, yo | Weight, kg | Height, kg | Chest, cm |
|---|
| M | 5-8 | 20-29 | 102-132 | 58-69 |
| L | 6-9 | 23-32 | 114-140 | 61-71 |
Junior
| Size | Age, yo | Weight, kg | Height, kg | Chest, cm |
|---|
| S | 8-11 | 27-41 | 130-142 | 66-76 |
| M | 9-12 | 32-45 | 140-157 | 71-81 |
| L | 11-14 | 36-50 | 150-168 | 76-89 |
Senior
| Size | Age, yo | Weight, kg | Height, kg | Chest, cm |
|---|
| S | 14+ | 54-73 | 163-170 | 86-94 |
| M | 14+ | 64-82 | 170-178 | 94-102 |
| L | 15+ | 73-91 | 178-188 | 102-109 |
| XL | 15+ | 82+ | 183+ | 109+ |
Even though all these tables are taken from the official catalogs of the manufacturers, they should still be taken only as a recommendation, which does not guarantee a perfect fit of hockey shoulder pads.
