Buying Shinguards for Hockey
This guide will help you buy the right shinguards.
Shinguards are one of the most important parts of protection because it protects your knee and shin against sticks, pucks or other players. You achieve optimal protection with shinguards that fit your height.
Sizing of hockey shinguards
Measure the distance between the center of your knee cap to the top of your hockey skate boots (not the tongue) while sitting down.
The size of the shinguard is always in inches and varies from brand to brand. The sizes given in this table are a good indication of which size you need, based on your measurement and height.
Model | Measurement | Height | Size |
Child | 8" | 3' 4" - 3' 8" | 8" |
Child | 9" | 3' 8" - 4' | 9" |
Junior | 10" | 4' - 4' 4" | 10" |
Junior | 11" | 4' - 4' 8" | 11" |
Junior | 12" | 4' 8" - 5' | 12" |
Junior | 13" | 5' - 5' 4" | 13" |
Senior | 14" | 5' 4" - 5' 8" | 14" |
Senior | 15" | 5' 8" - 6' | 15" |
Senior | 16" | 6' - 6' 4" | 16" |
Senior | 17" | 6' 4"+ | 17" |
Quality of the shinguards
Good shinguards have a strong knee shield that does not crack easily and a good inside padding (preferably gel). The best shinguards also protect the lower outside of your leg, where you will get the most hits with a stick.
Advice for wearing hockey shinguards
Put the boot tongue underneath the shinguard in order to avoid the shinguard to rub your leg.
See our selection of Shinguards for Ice Hockey and Shinguards for Roller Hockey.