You just bought brand new hockey skates and now you are wondering if you should get them profiled. We will help you out.
Brand new hockey skates will have a factory default profile already on the blade. So in order to play with a brand new pair of skates, you only need to get your blades sharpened and not profiled. However, if you want to highlight a particular aspect of your game it is best to have your skates profiled for how you prefer to play the game.
Stick around and we will talk about the ins and outs of profiling your new skates and why you might want to have your blades profiled.
Is There A Standard Profile For hockey Skates
Hockey skate profiles can range anywhere from 7’ to 13’ Most hockey skates that come straight from the manufacturer will have between a 9’ – 13’ profile placed on them.
If you are new to skating you will probably want a skate profile somewhere in the middle range like a 10’ or 11’ profile. This will give you a balance of speed and agility.
There is not an exact profile the CCM, Bauer, or True put on all of their skate blades. Each skate will be slightly different because these manufacturers have different lines of skates that are supposed to highlight different skating styles.
If you ever have your local pro shop check the profile on your skates right out of the box you will probably find some inconsistencies from your right blade to your left. It is not uncommon to have slightly different profiles on each of your blades straight out of the box.
Because of this it is a good idea to get your skate blades profiled but again, it is not mandatory in order to skate on them.
Different Types Of Hockey Skate Profiles
Let’s skate a little further into what profiling your skates actually is and how a 9’ profile and a 7’ profile differ from each other.
We will have to use a little bit of geometry here to understand. Let me take a sip of my beer while I try to explain this.
A 9’ profile on your hockey skate means that if we were to draw a circle that has a 9-foot radius the blade would fully contact a circle.
A 7’ profile blade would fully contact a circle with a 7-foot radius. etc…
The higher the number on your profile the more your skate blade actually touches the ice when you skate.
There are even more advanced skate profiles coming out now that mix and match some of the best profiles onto one blade. The company on the leading edge of this is Prosharp. Your regular pro shop most likely does not have access to this type of profiling technology but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
One of their more popular profiles is called the “quad” profile with starts with a smaller radius towards the toe and gradually gets larger as you move towards the heel of the blade. Let’s talk about choosing a profile next on your skate and why the quad profile from ProSharp is a popular choice among
How Do I Choose A Skate Profile
Choosing the best profile for your hockey skates will come down to how you play the game. Certain skate profiles will suit a particular play style better than others.
So the first question you have to ask yourself before you get your skates profiled is “How Do I Play The game?”
Do you grind in the corners? Are you a defensive Dman? Are you a speedy sniper?
Skate profiles 7’, 8’, and 9’ will benefit agility. Less of your skate blade will actually contact the ice which allows you to dig into the ice more with your edges. This gives you a better grip on the ice allowing for sharper turns, quicker stops, and more lateral movement.
Skate profiles between 11’ and 13’ will benefit speed. More of your blade will contact the ice which allows your weight to be distributed more evenly. This takes away some of the grip on your blades which means you actually produce less friction with the ice. This is why a larger skate profile will enhance speed.
A skate profile of 10’ is a good middle ground that will not highlight speed or agility but you will be able to have both of these skills to an average extent.
Choosing the perfect profile for you will most likely take some experimentation. You may have to try a smaller profile to figure out that you love it. Or maybe you will hate it.
There is only one way to find out.
What Is The Best Skate Profile For A Forward
Typically the best profile for a forward in hockey is between 7’ – 10’. A forward in hockey needs to be agile and have quick stops and starts. Top speed is important but jumping to get the puck and changing directions are arguably more important.
The Quad profile from Prosharp is probably the most well-rounded profile that you can get that will highlight multiple aspects of your game.
That being said, there is no definitive answer to this. Again, it is totally going to depend on your particular play style.
What Is The Best Skate Profile For A Defenseman
Defensemen typically benefit from larger profiles between 11’ to 13’. These skate profiles allow you to easily glide through the neutral zone and gain speed.
These larger profiles have less friction which highlights your speed. You do sacrifice some grip into the ice so you won’t be as agile as a forward but these larger profiles on your blade give you a much bigger center of balance. I have found this particularly helpful as a defender skating backward.
When you are new to defense and skating backward you know that we all need help with developing this skill. We play beer league hockey, there are plenty of people that can benefit from a larger profile at first.
How Much Does It Cost To Get Your Skates Profiled
Profiling your skate blades will cost you anywhere from $20 to $65 depending on the complexity of the profile and your local rink pricing.
Most local rinks will put a basic profile on your skate blades for between $20-$40.
If you are looking for a more advanced profile, something like what PRosharp does you can expect to spend between $40-$60.
If your local rink does not have the ability to profile your blades like you want them there are multiple places that you can choose to send your blades to online and have them profiled and sharpened perfectly.
Binnie’s Skate Sharpening offers all of the ProSharp blade profiles and you can mail your blades to them. They are located in Sewickley, PA so if you live close by you can always get them done in person there.
The Ice Warehouse also offers mail-in skate profiling. Their prices range from $58 to $65 for custom skate profiling.
KK Skate offers Proshrap custom profiles for $40 but this does not include the shipping cost.
PSBProservices also offers $40 skate profiling with the Prosharp profiles but you must pay for shipping as well. They ask you to just include which profile you would like them to cut. This site seems a little more primitive than the rest but that does not speak to the quality of their work.
Should I Profile Brand New Hockey Skates?
While it is not a necessity to profile new hockey skates in order to skate with them, profiling your hockey blades will enhance certain aspects of your game.
Smaller profiles like 7’ through 9’ will enhance your agility and quickness. Smaller profiles allow you to dig into the ice more because less of the actual blade is in contact with the ice. This causes more grip which in turn means more friction so your top speed will be decreased.
A 10’ profile is well-rounded giving you a balanced approach.
11’ through 13’ profiles will enhance speed on the ice. More of your blade will be in contact with the ice which enhances glide but you sacrifice agility.
If you are looking to highlight certain aspects of your playstyle it is a great idea to get your blades profiled. Ask your local shop and see if they profile skate blades. If you really wanted to you can ship your blades off to a company online that will profile your blades for you.
