On September 29th, 2014, Carbon Sports, LLC will launch a Kickstarter Fund campaign to raise the funding for production of a new stick design.
Carbon Sports LLC was born in the Stoneham, Massachusetts, when engineer Tovi Avnery and material scientist Scott Heitmann came together to design a new, more effective, longer-lasting hockey stick.
The new design, dubbed the AirBlade, uses innovative stick technology to improve upon the current carbon hockey stick. The foam innards of a stick’s blade will be eliminated; rather, the stick will be made with an aerated blade. The “criss-cross” design will allow for air to pass through the blade, giving players “faster shot speeds, more accurate shots, and less wind resistance”.
The campaign will be conducted across both the United States and Canada, primarily targeting hockey players, fans, parents, and enthusiasts. According to the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Richard Fucillo, the company hopes to have production under way and the sticks rolling out by early 2015.
“This is an exciting opportunity for anyone interested in hockey and its technological advancement to get involved on the ground floor,” says Fucillo. “Our engineers have developed a stick that is unlike anything ever seen in hockey.”
The team has spent ample time developing the stick, and it shows. Due to the strength and weight of the three-dimensional fiber aerated blade, the AirBlade will be better able to absorb the impact of the puck- eliminating the need for tape. The “perforated cross-beam pattern” will provide a much better feel for the puck, which provides players with a more accurate shot each and every time. There’s a larger sweet spot, and the lack of a foam core prevents the puck from bouncing. The stick is made of carbon fiber composite, which will give the AirBlade a longer life span than the current carbon fiber stick.
The team is confident that this will become the new standard design for hockey sticks- the stick has already received testimonials from 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team member Mike Eruzione, Ken Hodge Jr., Ken Linseman, and Craig Janney.
Their thirty-plus years of NHL experience speak for themselves- and their testimonials have been backed up by a number of NCAA and prep school players.
The stick won’t just be for the hockey pro.
Players of all skill level will be able to custom-order the AirBlade, choosing from six different blade models in addition to customizing the stick’s orientation (left or right), blade length, shaft flex, lie, curve depth, curve type, face angle, and grip coating.
This will improve recreation play, as it will eliminate the need to settle with limited in-store stick selections.
To learn more about the stick and watch video testimonials, you can visit Carbon Sports LLC’s website. For more information, check out the company’s Facebook and Twitter.
CARBON SPORTS – 60 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
We are so confident that you will love your customized AirBlade that we are offering a 60-day money back guarantee to backers through Kickstarter. As long as you use your stick within our warranty policy guidelines, you can return it up to 60 days after date of shipment for a full refund.
To access the Kickstarter page, click here.
Catherine likes to write about sports, usually hockey. She tries really hard to keep Rob Ford references out of her work, but… no guarantees. Sometimes, she’s even allowed to edit other people’s stuff.
Is/will the stick approved by the NHL?
Didn’t grow up in an area that had the weather for hockey but have followed it as best I could since I was 8. Was lucky enough to let my kid play for a couple of years and now he is letting his kid play and he is playing in a huffer puffer league. I wish they had given a price range also. That is usually more informative for the amateur than all the technical data. Few of us are engineers. But an interesting article just the same. Hope they make their goal but they have a long way to go with little time.
Maybe you all should actually look at their product page. They explain quiet clearly why you no longer need to tape the blade.
…if the stick has the ability to hold up to the rigors of the game, ie: slap shots in particular, tape is not a concern whatsoever…a simple semi-rubbery spray that’s impervious to dampness would solve any contact interface problems & likely provide better grip than tape…
…personally, I like their thinking…
…there was a neat video on the nhl network wherein certain younger players were asked to try using an old school wooden stick, something they never grew up playing with & the comments were interesting to say the least…
…search it out for their responses but obviously weight was the thing that threw these “kids” (nhl-ers) off first & foremost…
…should these guys have a product that really is beneficial to the game, perhaps they’ll be smart enough to solve the actual issue that more often than not defaults highly expensive pro sticks these days…shaft breakage…
…not just from a slashed stick but how many times do we see guys about to shoot & the shaft breaks ???…
…anyway, I give these guys props for trying…
Thanks a lot for taking a look. Would love to try one of these – and you’re dead on about shaft problems.
…definitely wish I still played just to try one of these sticks…my playing days ended when i was a kid, back when wood was it & we wrapped the non-curved blade in black electrical tape…
…when you broke a stick, it was pretty much always at the joint between the blade & the shaft…
…of course my gloves were leather, the helmet was leather with felt padding & my old ccm’s were leather with steel blades & we “bandaged” our toecaps with narrow white hospital tape for a little flash…
…sheesh, thinking about my old gear makes me feel like an antique…glad I still “think young” & occasionally get out on my bauer supreme’s for a skate around…
Yaaaa that’s gonna work…… Ask any hockey player if they tape their stick to “absorb the impact of the puck” or to create more friction against the puck!! I don’t know what their vision was, but what I’m envisioning is a perfectly shaped hole, about the size of the puck, through that stupid criss cross design after about two or three slap shots. Also, they said you can custom-order this baby, but they didn’t say how much… Considering the stick prices these days, I’m thinking something in the range of about four or five hundred bucks (and that’s probably when it’s on sale)!! SOOOO STUPID!!
is this a joke?
i guess they didn’t realize that hockey players tape the blade (covering the holes)
Not a mention of the NHL’s position …