New CCM Premier P2.5 Junior Goalie Leg Pads

Brand new for 2018, CCM has overhauled their flagship Premier line and brought out the CCM Premier P2.5 Junior Goalie Leg Pads. Building off of the already successful Premier R1.5 line, the Premier P2.5 Junior has new specs and pieces of technology sure to turn heads. Starting with the internal core of the pad, the Premier P2.5 pad has close to a 20% weight reduction across each pad that has a specifically balanced and reengineered core designed for the butterfly goalie. Also contributing to saving weight, there are specific reductions in the actual strapping and leg channel shapes. Moving onto the backside of the pad, you will notice the lack of leather straps. This is due to CCM utilizing a full elastic and nylon style setup to keep the pad connected on the leg while reducing weight. Keeping similar designs from previous generations, there is a 2 inch wide elastic strap which comes out of the knee block and can attach directly across the knee or angled down to the calf. The knee section features Soft foam on the back of the pad and a gripped nylon on the knee lander itself. This setup is designed to give the younger goalie some more cushion on their leg. To close it all off, there is a large removable thigh wrap to help give some extra protection to the knee and thigh, but it can also be taken off if the goalie prefers standalone knee pads. New on the P2.5 Junior, there is specific strapping for the younger goalie. The calf features a large 2 inch Velcro strap which adjusts on both the inside and outside of the goalies leg. Closing off the entire leg channel, there is a larger nylon strap which encapsulates the goaltenders leg in the channel. This strap begins on the inside of the calf and double through a loop on the outside of the leg channel and Velcro’s back onto itself. This strap can be adjusted as tight or as loose as desired, but it is recommended to keep it tighter as it will help pull the calf of the pad tight to the inside of the leg. Finishing off the leg pad specs, CCM has created a new toe tie system specific for the younger goaltender. The toe ties are made of an elastic style skate lace with Velcro like closures to avoid the traditional skate lace on models before. This new system is still similar in how the goalie must attach it to their skates, but it is designed to be easier for a younger goalie to handle. A large difference between the CCM Premier R1.5 and Premier P2.5 is within the boot angle. On the R1.5, the boot angle was at such a stiff and straight angle that it caused goalies to have to drop down in the knee sizing to achieve the proper fit, but that is changed on the Premier II. Now, there is a similar sizing between the ExtremeFlex and Premier lines. This is due to a slight change in boot angle which is not too soft or stiff, but has a spring-like feel which allows for deep pushes but will not break down or settle. The newer boot angle is a 60 degree boot shape whereas the ExtremeFlex is a 90 degree boot angle.