Choosing hockey skates.

What the rules require

Every rulebook we read allows a normal hockey skate. What they ban is anything that is not one.

• IIHF Official Rule Book 2026/27, Rule 9.10: a skater's skate may have only four parts, the boot, blade, blade holder and laces. The blade must be smooth from front to back, secured in a holder that covers both ends, with no figure-skate toe pick and not sticking out past the boot like a speed skate. No device that helps speed is allowed, and laces may not be fluorescent or long enough to touch the ice.
• Hockey Canada 2026-28 Playing Rules, Rule 3.4: skates must be of a design Hockey Canada approves. Speed skates, figure skates and skates that may cause injury are banned, and only goaltenders may use goaltender skates.
• NHL Official Rules 2026-2027: no separate skate design rule. Rule 9.1 requires a team's skates to be uniform in approved design and colour, and Rule 14.1 makes the player responsible for keeping them in proper condition.
• Goaltenders: under the IIHF's 2026/27 Rule 9.11, goalie skates need a non-fluorescent protective cowling at the front, and a flat blade no longer than the boot. See the goalie gear guide.

No rulebook we read sets a standard for a boot's stiffness, its fit or how the blade is sharpened.

Our picks by category

How to choose

Length and heel

The Pashby guide gives a simple check: in the unlaced skate, push the foot forward until the toes touch, and there should be about one finger-width behind the heel. Kick the heel back before lacing; laced, the eyelets should sit about 1.5 to 2 inches apart, and laces should never be wrapped around the ankle.

Retailers disagree on toe room once laced. One says the toes should lightly touch the toe cap standing and pull back slightly with the knees bent; another, Icebox, says to leave roughly a thumb's width (both claims). Icebox also says the heel should be locked in the pocket with little movement and the width snug with no side-to-side slide (claim).

Width and volume

Feet differ in volume as well as length. One major maker introduced three fit volumes in 2020, from low to high, and a retailer reports its foot-scan figures as about 37% of feet in the low fit, 44% in the middle and 19% in the high (manufacturer claim via a retailer). Fit names are that maker's own, so compare by trying skates on rather than by label.

Converting shoe size

Retailer Scheels says skates run smaller than shoes, and gives, for one maker's skates, about 1.5 sizes down from shoe size for adults, about one size for juniors and youth, and about three sizes down from women's shoe sizes (claim). That applies to one maker only; a fitting in the shop settles it.

Breaking in

Icebox suggests 8 to 15 hours of skating to break in quality skates (claim).

Steel and holders

Replacement steel blades, or runners, must match the holder. A retailer's copy of one maker's chart pairs each steel size with one holder size and tells buyers to use the size embossed on the holder (claim). Runners are also sold with different profiles: Sparx describes the profile as the radius, in feet, of the curve along the blade's length, with 9, 11 and 13 ft common, and says a smaller radius is generally better for agility and a larger one for speed (manufacturer claim).

The first sharpening

Sparx says 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch are the most common hollows, with 1/2 inch the usual shop default, and that a smaller number means a deeper groove with more bite and a larger one more glide (manufacturer claims). Sources disagree on how often to sharpen: Sparx gives about every 3 to 4 hours of ice time, and Icebox about every 5 to 8 hours (both commercial claims). No rulebook sets a figure.

Care that protects the purchase

The Pashby guide says to dry blades and holders immediately after use and never dry skates over direct heat, which it says can crack the boot. Hockey Calgary says to take the insoles out after use so they do not stay wet and rust the rivets.

For how coaches teach the stride your skates have to support, see skating. Check your association's rules if you play in goal or in a league with its own equipment requirements.