Learn How to Size Hockey Skates with This Sizing Chart

Hockey is a fun and fast-paced sport, but you need the right-sized skates that can keep up with the game. Wearing ill-fitted hockey skates can cause pain, injuries, and missed playing time. In this sizing guide, you’ll learn how to size hockey skates so you or your child can be comfortable and confident in the rink.

Hockey skates are essential to playing the game. When they fit correctly, you’ll perform your best and decrease your chances of injury or pain. Check out these sizing charts for different ages and genders so the whole family can get hockey skates that are the right size!

When it comes to hockey skates, there are five different hockey skate size divisions/classes to navigate: youth, junior, intermediate, senior men, & senior women.

If your child is just starting hockey, take the child’s shoe size and match it to the coordinating youth skate sizing:

Junior skates are calculated the same way as youth skates. Hockey skates should fit snugly when laced up, but not so tight as to cause any pain.

Follow the same process for the junior and youth skates to get the appropriate size. You’ll know you found the right fit when your toes barely reach the toe cap. There should be less than ¼-inch of space in the heel.

To find the perfect size, simply find your normal shoe size below. You’ll see the equivalent hockey skate size we recommend:

Need a quick refresher about your hockey skate sizing? Our women’s hockey skate size chart below can help you match your shoe size to the corresponding hockey skate.

Your hockey skate size won’t be the same as your regular shoe size because skates notoriously run big. A common rule of thumb to determine your skate size is to compare your skates to your shoe size:

• For male hockey players, skates should be typically around 1-1.5 sizes smaller than your shoe size.

• For female hockey players, skates should be around 2.5-3 sizes smaller than your shoe size.

• For kid hockey players, skate sizes will still be 1-1.5 sizes smaller. A finger should be able to fit inside the boot between the heel so there will be space as the kid grows.

Don’t forget to try on your hockey skates LACED UP. Standing up once you lace the skate’s boot is the next crucial step when you’re fitting a pair of hockey skates. When trying on an unlaced boot, do not write off the skate size if your toes lightly touch the toe cap.

The reason? Without lacing up the skate boots, your foot sits further forward than it would in a laced skate. As you continue lacing up the skate, your heel naturally moves back into its proper position.

Learning how to measure your hockey skate size physically is simple! Just trace your foot, measure its outline, and then calculate your foot’s length, width, and height. Follow these steps to get your measurements:

• Step 1: Gather a blank sheet of paper, a pen or pencil, and a measuring tape or ruler.

• Step 2: Put on your hockey socks.

• Step 3: Place the paper on the floor and stand on it so your entire foot is on it.

• Step 4: When standing, reach down with the pen and trace the outline of your foot.

• Step 5: Keep the pen perpendicular to the paper to prevent inaccuracies.

• Step 6: Measure your outline from the toes to the heel and on the widest part.

• Step 7: Repeat the steps for your other foot.

A hockey skate width ratio is the measurement of how wide your foot is compared to how long it is. You can use this ratio to help you find the most accurate fit in hockey skates. The width ratio has three categories: high volume, medium volume, and low volume.

Academy offers CCM brand skates, which are available both online and in-store. These skates offer durable construction and are comfortable to wear during both practice and games!

To try on a pair of hockey skates, always wear your hockey socks so you’ll know how the skates feel with them on. Whether you’ve used the above sizing charts or the foot tracing method, try on a few different styles in your size and see how they feel.

• Step 1: Slip the skates on your feet. Sit down and put the skates on. Kick your heels back firmly to the backs of the boots.

• Step 2: Secure the skates. Lace the skates up tightly until the toes are snug and your feet feel secure but not so tight that they’re uncomfortable.

• Step 3: Test the fit. Your heels shouldn’t move when you push off the ice as this can cause blisters and pain. Properly fitting skates only have ¼-inch of space or less near the heels and the toes should have a little space between the toe caps.

Hockey skates have a lot of technical parts. A skate’s boot is where your foot goes. However, many other components stem from it, including the following:

• Toe box: The area where your toes and the ball of your feet are with a hard toe cap at the end to protect them

• Midfoot: The area that keeps the foot secure in the skate and needs to fit properly so your feet don’t move

• Heel: The part that locks in your heel to prevent slipping, blisters, and other injuries

• Quarter package: The rigid part of the boot that runs from behind the toe box, along the midfoot, and up to the ankle to support the foot

• Skate blade: The sharpened or contoured metal part on the bottom of the skate

• Holder: Attaches the blade to the outsole of the skate as a single unit

• Eyelet stay: The area where the laces are and what keeps the laces secure

• Tendon guard: The stiff area behind the heel up the back of the ankle to protect the Achilles tendon

• Other parts: Other parts of skates that are similar to regular shoes are tongues, footbeds, liners, and laces

Now that you know how to size hockey skates, all that’s left to do is head to Academy and start shopping! Whether you shop in stores or online, we have hockey skates and your go-to protective equipment essentials that keep you safe and supported on the ice. Have fun out there!