In a sport known for skyrocketing costs, Swift Hockey is skating against the grain.
Founded in 2022, the Canadian company is on a mission to make hockey more affordable by offering high-performance sticks at a fraction of the usual price. Instead of charging $300 or more for a new twig, Swift sells its pro-level composite sticks for just $129.
“The company was started off with the belief that everyone should be able to play hockey no matter what race you are or what class you come from,” said Max Larivière, Swift’s head of marketing and business development. “Hockey has become too expensive.”
That belief comes from the experience of Swift’s founder, Zechariah Thomas, who launched the company after years of watching teammates struggle to keep up with the rising costs of hockey gear.
Thomas picked up hockey at age 10, and while his parents managed to support his growing love for the game, he saw others forced to step away due to financial pressure.
As a teen, he would often hand down his own sticks to friends who couldn’t afford replacements, a habit that would later inspire the foundation of Swift Hockey.
Swift operates entirely online, cutting out the middleman to keep prices low.
Swift now ships thousands of sticks across Canada and the U.S. each year, many of them going to grassroots hockey families who say the savings are a game-changer.
Swift’s sticks are designed with input from current and former professional players.
Larivière said the company is always listening to its customers when it comes to product development.
“We take all the feedback that we can,” he said. “Eventually we’ll be coming out with a new line that takes in everything we’ve heard from our larger consumer base and puts it into action.”
That feedback is backed by rigorous testing and a major investment in innovation.
“We’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on research and development for every new line,” Larivière said. “It’s just testing, testing, testing. We have to make sure the sticks stay lightweight and have the same pop that the competitors do.”
He added that besides performance, aesthetics and feel matter a lot to players.
“The graphics have to look good and there’s a ton of different things,” Larivière said. “But hockey players are very particular about what they like. If it doesn’t feel right, no one’s going to use it. The main thing is just the feel, the pop of the stick, the flex, everything. It just has to be perfect. On top of that, we have to keep the weight down to be in that premium stick range.”
Ryan Ellis, who helps oversee management, logistics and product development at Swift, said the process of launching a new stick begins with the smallest details.
“Everything always starts off with an idea here,” Ellis said. “Say we have a new stick coming out, we start by picking the direction we’re going in, whether it’s a player or goalie stick. Then we break it down even further based on kick points where the stick flexes. Once we finalize the design, we get some demos and samples in and allow pro players to use them. From there, it’s either time to make changes or it’s good to go for a launch.”
Still, breaking into the hockey gear market hasn’t been easy. Larger brands dominate shelf space and have deep marketing budgets. Swift relies on grassroots support and the occasional viral video to build its name.
Earlier this year, a video of a minor hockey team in Manitoba unboxing their new Swift sticks racked up more than 200,000 views on TikTok.
As hockey continues to grapple with affordability and access, companies like Swift are playing an increasingly important role. Hockey Canada estimates that more than one in four families struggle to keep up with the cost of the game, with equipment being one of the biggest barriers.
Swift Hockey hopes to continue growing its reach across North America and beyond expanding its lineup, scaling production and forming new partnerships. While the company is still young, its mission remains focused: Making hockey more accessible for the next generation.
With each new stick, Swift is working to change the game one shot at a time.