The 8 Best Hockey Nets
Special Honors
Pro Net Sports If you absolutely have to have the best of the best, then the models and pieces made available here are ideal. This is the go-to company for the NHL and a vast majority of professional hockey leagues, as they create durable, low-maintenance products with a whole slew of available accessories like steel pegs and camera mounts for play review. pronetsports.ca
X Hockey Products Official Regulation While they may not supply the NHL with their goals, this company is a great choice for rink owners looking to get the most authentic models available outside of pro league supply chains. They're available at a variety of depths, as well, so if your rink is smaller than 200 x 85 feet, you can still have plenty of room around the back boards for safe conduct. xhockeyproducts.com
Editor's Notes
May 26, 2020:
We got rid of a few options from our last ranking that weren't quite right for the sport of hockey, including the GoSports Barrier and the Clevr Pop Up Portable, the latter of which comes with a shooter tutor that would encourage you to aim for the center of a goalie's chest, which is exactly what you don't want to do. On the point of shooter tutors, it's tough to find one that actually places holes where low shots are most effective, especially against tenders who are either dropping into a VH or a reverse VH to support their catching glove. Even standard butterfly takes away the portions of the net low and outside, and a good tutor should place its low holes at the five hole and about a foot above the ice or pavement against either post.
Perhaps the most important consideration here, however, is the size of the net, as standard hockey goals are six feet wide and four feet high. Anything smaller and the shooting skills you develop might not translate to the real game. The Mini Skill Goal is a definite exception to that rule, however, as it's designed less to help you score and more to help you develop passing accuracy. It does come in handy if you don't have a goalie, though.
Also, consider whether the net is going to be used on pavement, ice, or tile. Few items can handle more than one, specially as ice is particularly slippery, and the pucks there are much heavier than street hockey balls or indoor roller pucks. For ice, look for thick, wide tubes and screw-type anchors at the base of the posts like you see on the EZGoal Folding.