Hockey equipment list for beginners

Updated October 17, 2026

Here's every piece of hockey equipment a beginner needs, what each one protects, how it should fit and the order you put it on. Plus what USA Hockey and Hockey Canada require for youth players, and which gear is fine to buy used.

What USA Hockey and Hockey Canada require

For the head, face, neck and mouth, the rules are specific, and the two countries differ.

Neck guards. USA Hockey's Congress voted in January 2024 to require neck laceration protection for every player below the adult level, in games and practices, starting August 1, 2024. The 2025-29 rulebook calls for a HECC-certified neck guard and accepts BNQ-certified ones through the 2026-27 season. HECC began certifying neck guards in 2025, so if you're buying one for play in the US, look for the HECC logo. USA Hockey strongly recommends neck guards for adults too, plus cut-resistant socks, sleeves or undergarments for everyone.

Mouthguards. USA Hockey's rule calls for an internal mouthguard covering all the teeth of one jaw, usually the upper, and strongly recommends one fitted by a dentist for every player. Hockey Canada's national rules only make a mouthguard compulsory in divisions that allow half visors, which doesn't include minor hockey, though its member branches can require them. Its equipment guide recommends one for every player anyway.

Helmet stickers. HECC stickers carry an expiration date, and USA Hockey treats an expired helmet as uncertified. In Canada, only the CSA sticker counts. It has no expiry, and the date on it is the year the helmet was made. Leagues can add rules, so check yours.

Every piece: what it protects and how it should fit

Helmet with a full cage or shield

Protects your head, and with the cage or shield, your eyes, face and teeth. It should feel snug, with the front just above your eyebrows. Shake your head side to side and front to back: the helmet shouldn't move. The chin strap goes snug under your chin. Hockey Canada says one finger should fit snugly between your chin and the cage's chin cup. Make sure the cage is made for your helmet. And as USA Hockey's parent guide puts it, there's "no such thing as a 'concussion-proof' helmet."

Mouthguard

Protects your teeth. A cage doesn't stop every dental injury, Hockey Canada notes. It covers your upper teeth. Choose a boil-and-bite guard you shape at home, or one fitted by a dentist, which both organizations recommend. In USA Hockey, from 12U up, it has to be colored, not clear.

Neck guard

Protects your neck from skate-blade cuts. Hockey Canada points out it isn't designed to protect against hits or spine injuries. It should be snug but not uncomfortably tight, and cover as much of your neck as possible. Bib styles also cover the upper chest and go under the shoulder pads. Some base layer shirts have a cut-resistant collar built in. Whatever you choose, check it carries the certification your league needs.

Shoulder pads

Protect your shoulders, chest, upper back and upper arms. The caps sit on top of your shoulders, the arm pads reach down to meet your elbow pads, and the back overlaps the top of your pants a little. Raise your arms just above shoulder height: the pads shouldn't dig into your neck.

Elbow pads

Protect your elbows and forearms. Beginners land on their elbows a lot, so USA Hockey calls them a good investment. The point of your elbow sits in the pad's cup. The top meets your shoulder pad's arm, and the bottom reaches your glove cuff. Fasten the straps snug so the pad doesn't slide when your arm is straight. Some are made for a left and a right arm.

Gloves

Protect your hands, fingers and wrists. Hockey Canada says they should fit like loose winter gloves over the fingers, with the cuff reaching up to your elbow pad. In the store, stickhandle for a few minutes: they should move freely without rubbing.

Jock or jill

Protects your groin with a hard cup. A jock is for boys and men, a jill for girls and women. Both come as a strap or as boxer-style shorts, which often have Velcro tabs to hold up your socks. They're sized by waist. It should fit like briefs: snug enough that the cup stays put, not so tight it rubs.

Hockey pants

Protect your hips, thighs, tailbone, kidneys and lower ribs. They're sized by waist. With shin guards on, the pant legs should reach the top of your kneecaps and overlap the top of the shin guards by about two inches. The belt sits just above your hip bones. Then squat all the way down: if the padding stays in place, they fit.

Shin guards

Protect your knees and shins, with padding that wraps around the calf. Your kneecap sits in the middle of the shin guard's plastic cap. With your skate open and your foot flexed up, the bottom should end about an inch above your foot, so it doesn't block your ankle. Sizes are in inches, and left and right are different. Hockey Canada recommends wearing the skate tongue behind the shin guard. Some players prefer it over the top.

Hockey socks and a garter or Velcro tabs

The long socks go over your shin guards and hold them in place. They attach to a garter belt or to the Velcro tabs on your jock or jill shorts. Hockey Canada says not to hold them up with tape or straps above the knee, which can cut off circulation. Clear shin pad tape below the knee can stop loose shin guards from sliding.

Skates

Protect your feet, with a hard toe cap and a tendon guard at the back. They fit snug, usually 1 to 1.5 sizes smaller than your shoe size. With your heel kicked back, your big toe should just brush the front, and your heel shouldn't lift. New skates need a sharpening before the first skate. More in skate sharpening and lacing.

Stick

In shoes, the top usually lands between your chin and your nose. Start with a flex a little under half your body weight in pounds. For the youngest beginners, USA Hockey suggests a straight blade. The details are in choosing a hockey stick.

Tape

Cloth tape for the blade and the knob, and clear shin pad tape for your socks. Both rule books require the end of a hollow stick to be covered. See how to tape a stick.

Bag

Anything that holds it all. Empty it after every skate and leave it open. Here's how to keep it fresh.

Water bottle

Your own, labeled with your name. Hockey Canada recommends washing it after every practice and game so germs don't spread.

Under your gear, wear whatever's comfortable. Hockey Canada calls it a personal choice. A base layer soaks up sweat and is easy to wash. Goalies need different gear, including leg pads, a blocker and catcher, a chest protector and a goalie mask. See how to play goalie.

Quick summary

The order to put it on

Dress from the bottom up, and put your skates on before your upper-body gear, while you can still bend over.

1. Base layer and jock or jill, plus the socks you wear inside your skates.
2. Shin guards. Check left and right, and fasten the straps behind your legs.
3. Hockey socks over the shin guards. Attach them to the Velcro tabs or garter.
4. Pants. Belt just above the hips.
5. Skates. Lace them up now.
6. Neck guard. A bib style goes on now, so the shoulder pads hold it down. A collar style can go on now or right before the helmet.
7. Shoulder pads.
8. Elbow pads.
9. Jersey. Tuck in any loose straps.
10. Mouthguard and helmet. Fasten the chin strap.
11. Gloves, then grab your stick.

Before you step on the ice, look for gaps where skin shows between pieces. To save time at the rink, young players can put their base layer on at home. Taking it off is the same list in reverse.

Buying used, and gear for growing kids

USA Hockey's parent guide says beginners often do fine in used gear, as long as it's in good shape. Pants, shoulder pads and shin guards are good used buys. Some youth programs run equipment swaps, so ask. Before you buy, check:

• No cracks in any hard plastic. Hockey Canada says cracked shin guards should be replaced right away.
• Straps and Velcro that still hold.
• Padding that springs back. Press the elbow pad's padding: if it's hard, brittle or cracked, pass.
• Glove palms with no holes or thin spots.
• Skates with no cracks in the toe cap, no loose rivets and sides that aren't broken down.

Wash used gear before the first skate. For growing kids, buy gear that fits now. USA Hockey warns against buying helmets or skates too big to grow into. Pure Hockey says half a size of extra room in kids' skates is the most you should allow.

What not to buy used

• Helmets. Pure Hockey doesn't recommend used helmets, because past impacts may not show. In the US, the HECC sticker must be there, readable and not expired. Pure Hockey says HECC certification lasts 6.5 years from the date the helmet was made. In Canada, replace any helmet that's cracked, has loose fittings or missing liner pieces, or took a hard hit.
• Neck guards. HECC says its certified neck guards are approved for five years from the date of manufacture.
• Mouthguards and jocks or jills. Buy new.
• Anything altered or cracked. Hockey Canada says any alteration voids a helmet's or cage's certification, and USA Hockey treats an altered helmet or cage as illegal equipment.
• Skates that don't fit now. Skates two sizes too big are no bargain.

Next, see youth hockey levels and ages and the tryout tips. For days off the ice, Brudvig Hockey 2027 is a free 3-on-3 arcade hockey game that runs in a web browser, with no download or account.