When you’re watching your favorite National Hockey League players, I am positive you find yourself in awe of their stickhandling skills and how they’re able to control the puck as if it is on a string. I will say one thing, a lot of their hockey stickhandling abilities come from intense practice to perfect their craft.
One of the things that can speed up your improvement is to use a hockey stickhandling training aid, as it will challenge you even further that just using pylons or markers on the ground. In this article, we have reviewed the best hockey stickhandling training aids on the market so you can make an informed decision about which product will help your game improve the most!
Best Interactive Stickhandling Trainer
The only truly interactive hockey stickhandling training aid, this is the perfect tool for kids! It is easy to use and your budding superstar will think he is playing a game and instead of training his puckhandling skills
The SuperDeker Training System has exploded in popularity recently, and the reason why is kids absolutely love to practice on it. If you’re looking for an in-depth review on this product, check to see our detailed SuperDeker Review. It is set up in the form of a game, that gives you points for stickhandling over the targets. It is truly an innovative hockey stickhandling training aid and i’m sure more and more products like it will be coming out soon. It forces hockey players to react quickly to changing targets on the SuperDeker board, and it will surely get your kid having fun and improving his puckhandling skills!
Best Stationary Stickhandling Aid
This is the most versatile hockey stickhandling training aid because it is fully adjustable, both in height and configuration.
The HockeyShot Speed Deke is an amazing tool because of how many different drills and configurations you can set-up! There is no assembly required so it comes ready to use right out of the box! It can be used on any surface, on or off the ice and you can even adjust the height so you can use pucks or stick handling balls. You can also combine multiple units so you can grow from four stickhandling slots to 8 with two HockeyShot Speed Deke trainers. If you’re not looking for an interactive stickhandling trainer, this is our choice for the best stationary hockey stickhandling training aid.
Best Hockey Defender Training Aid
If you want a tool not just to work on your hockey stickhandling skills, but to also simulate a defender in a hockey game the Rush Defender does just that!
This is a hockey stickhandling trainer that is becoming a staple in hockey practices, as it is perfect to incorporate into almost any shooting or puckhandling drill. The HockeyShot Rush Defender comes with two stick blades and a cut resistant belt to connect them if you desired. There are also mooring pins to anchor the defenders to the ground/ice if you don’t want them to move if contact is made. This is a pro-level hockey stickhandling training aid, and our top choice if you’re looking to simulate in-game situations such as shooting around a defender and deking while skating!
Our Recommendations
Best Stationary Stickhandling Aid
A fully configurable and versatile hockey stickhandling training aid that is perfect for hockey players of all ages
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Best Interactive Stickhandling Aid
The only interactive hockey stickhandling trainer that creates a game and makes working on your hockey skills fun
Buying Options
Best Defender Stickhandling Aid
Great for integration into on ice practices and at home, helps work on your dekes and puckhandling while moving at top speed
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Looking for a hockey passing aid to compliment your stickhandling training? Check out our guide on the Best Hockey Passers!
The Best Hockey Stickhandling Aids
1. SuperDeker Hockey Training System - Best Interactive Stickhandling Aid
Specifications and Features:
- Interactive Game – Each “game” lasts 45 seconds long so it simulates a typical hockey shift, with targets to stickhandle over that pop up on the board to give you points
- Passing Bands – At both ends of the SuperDeker is two passing bands, so instead of stickhandling over the targets you can switch it up and pass over the targets for added difficulty
- Batteries Not Required – Nothing is worse than a dead battery, and the SuperDeker charges via plug-in so you’ll never have to buy batteries
What Players Are Saying:
BOTTOM LINE:
This is one of the best options for a hockey stickhandling training aid, especially if you have younger kids and are looking to get them doing something other than go on the internet or watch T.V. The coolest thing about the SuperDeker is no game is the exact same, and the targets are completely random so you can’t pick up the pattern. Your young hockey players will be begging you to play it, and they will be improving their skills while doing it! It forces players to react quickly to to the changing targets and your puck handling and passing will progress rapidly. The transition to on ice skills can be seen immediately, as your confidence in handling the puck and ability to keep your head up from using the SuperDeker will make you a much better hockey player.
2. HockeyShot Speed Deke - Best Stationary Stickhandling Aid
Specifications and Features:
- Versatile Configuration – With unlimited different configurations and adjustable height, this can be used for a ton of different skill development drills to improve hockey players stickhandling
- Durable Frame– The Speed Deke comes with three 16″ shafts made from high impact aluminum, so it is lightweight and strong for heavy use
- Multi-Surface Use– This is easily used at home or on the ice, and comes with anchor pegs if you want to lock this in place on the ice
BOTTOM LINE:
The biggest reason we love the HockeyShot Speed Deke training system is versatility, and we can’t repeat this enough because the possibilities are endless on how to use this in your training. With its durable high impact aluminum construction, and adjustable bars you won’t get sick of using this hockey training aid. It works great on and off the ice, and is the perfect addition for a coach or player. You will see quick improvement on hockey stickhandling skills that will translate into more goals and better playmaking ability on the ice!
Looking for a balance board to take the training difficulty to the next level? Check out our guide on the Best Hockey Balance Boards!
3. HockeyShot Rush Defender
Specifications and Features:
- Simulates a Defender – If you want to simulate in game situations, this is the perfect tool for practicing stickhandling around or shooting around a defender
- Rubber and Aluminum Design – The high impact aluminum shafts won’t break from abuse and the rubber blades won’t damage your skates if stepped on
BOTTOM LINE:
This is probably my favorite hockey stickhandling training aid to incorporate into a team practice because you can find a use for it in almost any drill. The Rush Defender hockey stickhandling trainer simulations a defender to work on things like deking, or quick shots after making a move around a defender. This is a great hockey deke trainer because it blade at the front makes it harder than They can be connected together via a cut proof strap, and there are also slots to add on a Speed Deke trainer as well. This is a great tool for all calibers of hockey players, and it is used frequently in professional skill development training camps.
4. Fast Hands Stickhandling Training Aid
Specifications and Features:
- Sturdy Design – Built with steel tubes, this is going to be stronger than high impact aluminum products but will weight slightly more
- Cost Effective – This is a great option because it comes at a very reasonable price point and is great for hockey players for all ages
- Challenging Design – With five stickhandling slots and coming in a U-shape, this is perfect for training alone and working on your range of motion while handling the puck
BOTTOM LINE:
This gets our vote for the best stationary hockey stickhandling training aid to keep at home in the garage or for use on the driveway. It is the perfect option to use alone, because it challenges players to improve their range of motion while stickhandling. This is built for both on and off-ice use, but we think it fits way better as an at home training tool. The Fast Hands training aid also comes with a ton of printable hockey stickhandling drills and an instructional video so you won’t have to use your imagination. This is a great option for beginner players to work on their fundamental hockey stickhandling skills and train off the ice, to see huge improvements on the ice!
Specifications and Features:
- Lightweight Design – Instead of steel or aluminum construction, this utilizes high strength plastic and weights only 4 lbs
- Retractable Spikes – Perfect for on-ice skills drills, it has retractable metal spikes so it won’t slide around when used on the ice
- Moveable Middle Legs – While it isn’t as flexible as the Speed Deke in terms of different configurations, you can still adjust the middle legs for more challenging setups
BOTTOM LINE:
The HockeyShot Extreme Dangler is the perfect option for kids just starting out, because they don’t need as challenging of a setup that the Speed Deke system offers. This is great for working on fundamental stickhandling skills and it can be used on any surface such as a driveway or the ice. With the adjustable middle legs, you can create a more challenging setup by changing the amount of space between each leg. This is a lightweight and well designed product that is a perfect addition to improve your hockey players stickhandling skills!
Conclusion
All the products we reviewed in this article are great quality, it just depends on the level of difficulty you need to push yourself and improve your hockey stickhandling skills. These hockey stickhandling training aids can make a quick and noticeable difference in your office ice performance, and you will see it in passing, shooting, and puckhandling!
Our favorite product for at home is definitely the Super Deker Training System, because the interactive modes make it fun for youth hockey players to practice. Our runner up favorite is great for both off-ice and on-ice practice, and this is the HockeyShot Speed Deke system which offers a variety of configurations. We hope you’ve enjoyed this article and please leave us a comment if you feel like there is a product we have missed!
