Increased Durability, Uncompromising Performance

Growing up playing hockey in Canada, we faced the common frustration of breaking composite sticks. We asked ourselves, how can we stop carbon fibre sticks from breaking without impacting performance? We needed to reinvent the hockey stick.

To find a high-tech solution, we looked to the aerospace industry to find a company on the cutting edge of advanced technology. We found Integran Technologies, a world leader in aerospace innovation. After working with Integran, we discovered a solution to make a stronger hockey stick - a technology with over 20 years of development and $95 million dollars of investment: Nanovate™ Nickel Cobalt (NiCo).

 

 

Nanovate™ Technology

Originally engineered for aerospace applications, Nanovate™ NiCo is used to make composite parts stronger and last longer. This patented Nano-technology produces the Nickel Cobalt metal at a grain size that is 1000 times smaller than that of a typical metal. The result creates a material that is 2.8 times stronger and 20% more flexible than steel. But what can it do to a hockey stick?

 

Nanovate™ Technology and Hockey Sticks

With some modifications, we applied the Nanovate™ NiCo technology to carbon fibre and the COLT hockey stick was born.

In co-operation with an industry-leading composite stick manufacturer we underwent numerous product tests that showed we had achieved our objectives:

1. The Nanovate™ NiCo coating protects the carbon fibre from micro-fractures that commonly occur with use
2. Elite players found that the stick held up in high intensity situations (slap shots, one-timers and corner battles included)
3. The one-piece composite stick is still able to load and release the shot with adequate flex and proper use of the stick’s kick points
4. The COLT stick is ~50% stronger than a conventional carbon fibre stick after a simulated slash impact
5. The most outstanding result is that the COLT is able to store more energy in the stick which results in more power behind your shot:

Increased Energy → Increased Velocity → Greater Performance.

 

Performance

While the strength of the Nanovate™ NiCo prevents breakage at high impact, it is also the key to increased stick performance. The unique combination of strength and flexibility means you can store more energy in the stick shaft with each shot. This energy, once released, results in a harder shot coming off of your stick. So you can put more into your shot – without breaking your stick – and get more out of it.

 

Manufacturing the COLT

The manufacturing process is labour intensive and incorporates Integran’s Intebond™ technology which adheres the Nanovate™ to the composite and also acts as an impact absorption layer. The Nanovate™ applied to the stick is only 0.002 inches thick, about the thickness of a layer of paint to minimize the added weight. For safety concerns, the stick has been designed so that it will still break when overloaded. The COLT is not “unbreakable”, but provides longer lasting, dependable performance.