Season Plan tells hockey families what their player actually needs, what it should cost, and what's smart to buy used — and when the honest answer is "get fitted, don't buy online."
Thirteen things go in a hockey bag. You almost never need to buy all thirteen new. Tap any piece for what to buy, what to skip, and what to do with the hand-me-down.
In the only independent laboratory rating of youth hockey helmets we could find — Virginia Tech's STAR ratings, reviewed August 2026 — the best-scoring of 34 helmets tested cost $69.99. Three helmets priced over $300 scored zero stars out of five.
Across the field, price told you almost nothing about measured protection.
Read the helmet guidePlotted: the four helmet values our research recorded specifically. We don't hold the other thirty, so we don't draw them.
Three things a first-time hockey parent has no way of knowing, and every coach checks without thinking. They take about ten seconds each.
Standing in shoes, the butt end of the stick should land somewhere between the chin and the nose. A stick that's too long isn't a problem — any shop cuts it down in a minute.
Roughly two fingers of space above the eyebrows, a snug strap, and a helmet that doesn't rock. Check the HECC sticker date before anything else — certification expires.
Have your player put the pads on and reach for the ceiling. If the caps slide off the shoulders, the shoulder is bare on the ice — no matter how good the price was.
Not one answer handed down — up to five real routes to the same solved problem, with the total landed cost of each and the reasoning in the open. When an option doesn't belong, we say why instead of padding the list.
Our top-ranked current model, after identity, certification and recall checks.
Every card carries the date we checked itLast year's model, brand new. Often the same shell with different graphics, for a lot less.
Basis and provenance shownNew condition, retailer-verified return or end of line.
Condition state recordedHelmets are our new-only policy: a used helmet's impact history is invisible, and certification expires. Stated as a policy, not as a claim about any particular helmet.
An honest refusal is a real answerA shop that carries the category, what they actually do, and what to ask when you call.
See the shop directoryNo 14-item checklist dumped on you. The app walks the bag with you: helmet, then skates, then everything else — one decision per screen.
Before we suggest spending a dollar, we help you check what you already have. A too-long stick gets cut down, not replaced.
Every price shows the date we checked it. We never dress up an estimate as a live quote.
Skate sizes can't be judged from home — so we say "get fitted first" instead of guessing. When we don't know, we tell you.
What independent lab testing actually says about youth hockey helmets — and how to pick one.
Read the guide →A category-by-category answer, with the checks to run before you hand over cash.
Read the guide →The one phone call that can make most of the gear list free, and where the money actually goes.
Read the guide →The Season Plan app is in private parent testing. Join the list and we'll bring you in as spots open.
We'll only email you about Season Plan testing. No spam, no selling your address.