The Story of HockeyStickMan and Their $500K Bet on a No-Name Stick

In our Pro Seller series, we spotlight a standout seller from Sideline's talented and ambitious community, offering readers a look at their process and story. This month, it's all about hockey with HockeyStickMan. 

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When Joey Walsh wired half a million dollars to a stick manufacturer without a single pre-order, it wasn’t a stunt. It was a calculated leap of faith—fueled by years of broken blades, price-tag frustration, and one radical idea: build a high-performance hockey stick that doesn’t need a logo to prove itself.

That dream became the Pro Blackout stick, the flagship product of HockeyStickMan. And that bet? It helped turn a family-run side hustle into one of the most disruptive gear businesses in hockey.

From Broken Blades to Family Business

In 2010, Joey returned to his parents’ rural farm in Shannonville, Ontario, fresh from jobs with Hockey Canada and the Vancouver Olympics. What he brought home wasn’t a medal or a contract—but hundreds of broken pro stock hockey sticks.

"We weren’t farming animals anymore," Joey laughs. "We were farming sticks."

At the time, elite sticks retailed for $250–$300 and often wouldn’t last a single year on the ice. Joey saw potential in rescuing and repurposing that discarded gear. His dad handled repairs, his mom printed labels, and retired uncles built furniture out of broken shafts. From a one-man operation in the family barn, HockeyStickMan had grown into a real business serving a small but loyal online community.

As word spread, so did supply and demand. Joey began sourcing larger quantities of used and broken pro stock sticks, especially from college and junior programs. Many of the sticks were still structurally sound, requiring only minor repairs, such as blade reinforcement or shaft re-gluing. His father became the in-house refurbishing expert, creating repeatable fixes and refining the repair process so the sticks could be resold at a fraction of the retail price.

“At one point, we had hundreds of sticks stacked like firewood,” Joey recalls. “We'd inspect, repair, relabel, and list them online ourselves.”

The operation was lean, family-driven, and entirely bootstrapped—every sale reinvested into sourcing the next lot. Joey stayed close to the community of competitive players, parents, and budget-conscious teams who relied on affordable pro-grade gear. 

Building Trust, One Pro Stock at a Time

By the time Joey expanded into the Toronto warehouse, HockeyStickMan had already become a trusted name in the used market—known for repairing, sourcing, and reselling pro stock gear at a price that made sense.

But as the customer base grew, so did Joey’s insight into what players really wanted.

He began noticing a pattern.

"Not every player needed a specific curve or brand,” Joey recalls. “They just needed a good stick, one they could trust, at a price that wouldn’t hurt."

The next step—designing a no-logo stick from scratch—was bold, but it didn’t come out of nowhere. It emerged from years of listening, fixing, and quietly laying the groundwork for something bigger.

Enter the Pro Blackout: No Logo, No Middleman, No B.S.

In an industry dominated by glossy marketing and signature curves, the Pro Blackout stick was the anti-brand. It stripped away the flashy paint and corporate markup, offering elite-level performance at a fraction of the cost of major-brand alternatives.

The first 500 sticks sold out in under two weeks. And according to Joey, only one broke.

"There’s a culture in hockey," Joey says. "Some players want something different. They want the anti-brand. They want a stick that works—without paying for the name."

The $500,000 Gamble

Riding on the early success of the Pro Blackout, Joey made a bold move. He negotiated a bulk deal for 10,000 sticks with a leading manufacturer.

No investors. No guarantees. Just a $500,000 wire transfer and a warehouse waiting to be filled.

"This is why people don’t do it," Joey says. "There’s no fallback plan. If it doesn’t work, you’re done."

But it did work. The manufacturer came through as promised. 

The Pro Blackout gained a cult following. Former NHLers and NCAA stars stopped by the retail shop to grab a few off the rack. Word-of-mouth exploded. And HockeyStickMan had officially gone from gear reseller to gear creator.

Scaling Up Without Selling Out

Even as the Pro Blackout line expands—with new colors, custom logos for teams, and companion gear like gloves and skates—HockeyStickMan keeps its roots grounded.

"We're not trying to chase flash," Joey says. "We build gear that works, at a price families can afford."

That family-first ethos isn’t just a marketing line—it’s how the company was built. Joey’s brother now oversees the Belleville operation. His parents still help behind the scenes. As the U.S. market expands, the team continues to grow organically.

Why SidelineSwap Became a Strategic Fit

For a company that buys gear in bulk from over 175 pro teams, not everything fits neatly into a retail rack. That’s where SidelineSwap plays a key role.

"SidelineSwap is where our used gear goes to get a second life," Joey explains. "It helps us move equipment that still has value but may not sell quickly in-store."

With over 6,300 sales to date on SidelineSwap and a locker stocked with 700+ items, HockeyStickMan has built one of the most active and trusted storefronts on the platform. You’ll find a wide range of gear—including Pro Blackout sticks—as well as what Joey calls “our coolest high-end, game-used sticks and equipment.”

By listing sticks, gloves, and apparel on SidelineSwap, HockeyStickMan reaches a broader audience of players looking for deals on gear they can trust. It’s a natural extension of their mission: make elite hockey gear more accessible.

And because of their established reputation, customers buying through SidelineSwap often become lifelong fans of the brand.

Gear With a Purpose

For Joey and his team, the mission has always been bigger than sales. It’s about keeping more players on the ice, regardless of budget.

“We donate gear to programs and to kids who need it,” Joey says. “Especially when we get lots with mismatched sizes or cosmetic issues—gear that still works great but wouldn’t sell. We’d rather see it used than sitting in storage.”

Whether it’s helmets with minor blemishes or gloves that didn’t match in color, the team finds ways to redirect usable gear to youth teams and families in need. 

What's Next for HockeyStickMan?

With operations now incorporated in the U.S. and demand steadily growing, Joey isn’t aiming for explosive growth—he’s aiming for intentional, sustainable impact. That means continuing to reinvest in gear development, expanding product categories, and ensuring that every new move aligns with their core philosophy: affordable access to quality gear.

“We’re not chasing flash,” Joey says. “We’re growing where it makes sense—mostly to serve the players who’ve been with us from the beginning.”

Gear Up With HockeyStickMan

Check out pro stock sticks, Pro Blackout models, and more HSM gear on SidelineSwap or at HockeyStickMan.com.