What the Pros Use: Stick Setups from the NHL's Biggest Stars

Every fan wonders what the superstars are playing with. Pro sticks are custom, painted over, and changed constantly, but tracking their specs through pro-stock retailers, gear sites, and player endorsements reveals clear patterns. Updated October 2026.

The general pattern

Most NHL players use one-piece composites, mid or mid-toe curves, flexes between 85 and 110, and sticks cut or extended to a personal length. They favor tacky grips and change sticks constantly, often one per game or two at the elite level. But the details are surprisingly individual.

Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh)

Crosby's setup is famously unusual: a near-straight PM9-style curve (his pro pattern is often labeled PRO87), a short blade, and a low lie of 4. It is the opposite of a modern sniper's curve, built for control, receiving, and the boards. His retail counterparts are the P88 and PM9 families, not the deep retail P29 often sold with his name.

Connor McDavid (Edmonton)

McDavid uses a toe-loaded quick-release pattern, often compared to the P28 or P90TM family, on a CCM stick at around 85 flex. The result is an instant release that fits his speed game.

Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado)

MacKinnon changed brands in 2025-26: he moved from CCM (where he used a P71 pattern at 95 flex) to Bauer's Proto2, dropping to 87 flex with a classic P92 curve. It is a reminder that even elite players change specs as they age and adapt.

Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov and others

Matthews uses a P92-family pattern, the same family many stores sell as the default all-round curve. Kucherov uses a P28-style toe pattern. Most of the NHL leans toward mid or mid-toe patterns because they balance passing and shooting.

What you should copy (and what you should not)

Copy the curve family that matches your style: control players like Crosby favor straighter blades, while quick-release shooters favor toe curves. Do not copy exact flex and length, because those are tuned to each player's strength and posture. And remember that painted pro-stock sticks are frequently not the retail model they appear to be.

Key takeaways

Pros favor mid and mid-toe curves with 85-110 flex. Crosby: straight blade, low lie. McDavid and MacKinnon: toe-heavy quick release, with MacKinnon now on an 87-flex Bauer. Match the curve family, not the exact spec.