[Article] Canucks’ Elias Pettersson now using a stick flex higher than Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby

[RWJC]

Canucks’ Elias Pettersson now using a stick flex higher than Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby

 

 

By David Quadrelli

17 hours ago

 

At this point, everyone knows Elias Pettersson has gotten stronger every offseason since he’s been in the NHL.

When he burst onto the scene with the Vancouver Canucks in 2018-19 en route to winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, Pettersson was listed at 176 pounds. To this day, his weight still reads as 176 on the NHL’s website, but Canucks fans have seen firsthand how much muscle Pettersson has added year after year.

Pettersson’s added strength seems to show up in different ways every season. In his sophomore year, he seemed to add a reverse hit to his game, and recently, we’ve seen him make an overall effort to play more physically than in years past. But perhaps the easiest way to tell Pettersson has gotten stronger — aside from him telling us, of course — is by way of his stick flex.

 

First, a quick explanation of what stick flex means. Flex is used to describe a hockey stick’s stiffness. The lower the number, the more “whippy” the stick is, and the higher the flex, the more stiff the stick is. A stiffer stick helps with faceoffs, stick battles, one-timers, slap shots, and overall shot speed. Defencemen typically use a higher flex, as do bigger, stronger players.

 

For shoot-first wingers like Aidan McDonough, a less whippy stick is typically ideal.

 

“I use an 80 flex and I use a bit of a longer stick,” McDonough told CanucksArmy. “I use it because I can get my shot off quickly. I think it’s the most important thing you can utilize on a stick now with the technology, like Bedard uses a 65, and he uses a really long stick, but the problem is, you have to find that fine line. Like, if I used 70 or 75, my shot would be very quick, but one timers would be a bit harder — it’s harder to hammer a one-timer with a low flex and it’s also harder to handle a puck, win stick battles, and take faceoffs.”

 

Thus, a two-way centre who also has one of the most lethal shots in the league like Pettersson needs to find the “fine line” that McDonough is talking about when choosing their stick flex. And in Pettersson’s case, continuing to get stronger has meant that he’s continuously moved up in flex. After using an 82 flex in 2021-22, Pettersson went up to an 87 flex last season.

 

“Last season when I went up in flex, I was playing with my old stick in the summer, and it was like I was pushing through the flex point. I like to play with a stiff stick so that when I shoot, the stick responds right away. And for this summer, I went up in flex again.” Pettersson told CanucksArmy in late September at Canucks training camp in Victoria. “I’m at 95 now, but I might go up again, we’ll see. It’s all just about how I feel.”

 

A 95 flex is on the higher side for any forward, let alone one who shoots with as much accuracy, speed, and overall precision as Pettersson. Pettersson shared with us today that he’s now up to a 102 flex to begin the new campaign.

 

Anything higher than 100 is typically reserved for hulking defencemen like Carson Soucy, who don’t need to worry about getting wrist shots off in a hurry the way Pettersson does. For comparison, Soucy uses a 105 flex with an extended length, which he says makes it feel more like a 100 flex.

Pettersson is now using a Bauer Proto R stick after using a Bauer AG5NT before this season. His new stick weighs only 345 grams, according to geargeek.com.

 

Per prohockeysticks.com, here are some comparables of players around the league’s stick flexes:

 

Jake Guentzel: 80
Jordan Kyrou: 85
Roope Hintz: 85
Dylan Larkin: 90
Sidney Crosby: 100
Alex Ovechkin: 100

 

From what we can see from the publicly available data, Pettersson’s 102 flex gives him the highest flex of any forward in the league outside of Pittsburgh Penguins centre Evgeni Malkin, who uses a near-unheard-of 115 flex on his stick.

 

That seems pretty good for a guy who was dubbed by many to be too skinny to hang in the NHL.

When asked how comfortable he is using a 102, Pettersson coyly responded, “it worked last game, didn’t it?”

 

It’s flat-out hard to disagree with that logic.

 

https://canucksarmy.com/news/abbotsford-canucks-postgame-nikita-tolopilo-41-saves-tristen-nielsen-hat-trick-4-3-victory

[Coconuts]

So what you're telling me is that Malkin has been flexing on the rest of the league for years? 

[MeanSeanBean]

Haven't seen as much of Pete's wrister since he started increasing the tension though. As long as he's scoring he can do whatever he wants.

[nergish]

During his worst slumps, Petey was breaking an absurd amount of sticks (and hitting way too many posts).

Surprised he's able to use something that stiff given his weight, but I hope to never see him breaking his stick on a one-timer again.

[Sherwood]

12 minutes ago, nergish said:

During his worst slumps, Petey was breaking an absurd amount of sticks (and hitting way too many posts).

Surprised he's able to use something that stiff given his weight, but I hope to never see him breaking his stick on a one-timer again.

good point..he did break a lot of sticks.  Hopefully he’s not sacrificing accuracy here, but this should pay dividends in face offs 

[6of1_halfdozenofother]

"Elias Pettersson now using a stick flex higher than Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby"

 

 

[RU SERIOUS]

We All know what that stick is made out of !  

[RU SERIOUS]

[Sophomore Jinx]

102 flex at his weight is astronomical, wow.

 

When I played at 212-215 pounds, I used a 95 flex, but actually went down to an 85-87  

 

He must have incorporated isometrics and really worked on his tendon strength.

 

So great to see his continual improvement, always moving forward...this kid has got it in spades.

 

[gwarrior]

Man, no wonder he's able to hammer the puck the way he does.