Bauer Supreme Shadow Hockey Skate Review
|
|
Time to read 4 min
The game of hockey is constantly changing, with the pace getting faster and faster every year. For the player with more of a power stride, you’ll need a bit more than your skating to get past the competition. For this upcoming season, Bauer has upgraded their Supreme skate family to the Shadow line, their most innovative skate yet. In this article, we’ll review some of its best features— from returning tech to all-new improvements.
Shadow Skate - Supreme Skate Family
Bauer’s Supreme skate family emphasizes power and maximum energy transfer, which it is able to channel through the use of a stiffer outsole. As implied, it caters to players who rely on strong, explosive, and efficient strides.
Supreme skates are built with a closer fit in the lower portion of the boot— that means the energy transfer can be as direct and efficient as possible. This snug fit reduces loss of power between the foot and the skate, allowing for more explosive movements. This also means that Supreme skates may feel stiffer compared to more agility-focused skates, going up in stiffness as you go up in price point.
Returning Tech
12K Carbon CURV Composite with AMP Flex
Like in its predecessor, the Mach, the Shadow skate has been constructed with a 12K carbon CURV composite quarter package, which combines strength with a light weight. Not only does it keep the skates stiff and light, but it also makes them durable and able to last through all the tougher sessions, as we’ve seen with the Mach. That stiffness and power is needed particularly in the Supreme family for maximum support on the energy transfer.
AMP Flex technology increases the skate’s flexibility and range of motion while still keeping the performance expected of Supreme equipment. In protectives, this would be coverage; the equipment moves with your movements, so no part of your body is exposed while you're in motion. In the Shadow skates, this technology helps the boot flex naturally with the player's movements, enhancing agility and acceleration without compromising support and stability. In essence, that dynamic range of motion can lead to better power transfer and more efficient energy use during play.
Powercoil Tongue
The Powercoil tongue returns in the Shadow, adjusted for increased comfort while keeping the same performance. This tongue incorporates traditional feel and comfort in a white felt outer layer with an extra kick; the injected insert and tougher frontal exterior give a powerful recoil or “spring” effect on each stride, helping with each push. This not only enhances power on the stride but also aids in quick transitions, a quality normally associated with the agility-based Vapor line.
New Tech
New CarbonCONNECT Outsole
The new CarbonCONNECT outsole looks to upgrade what we had in the Mach before it. For power skates, the outsole and its dynamics are some of the skate’s most important features. The outsole is where most of the support from the skates will be located— and thus, where that power is generated.
To start, it integrates seamlessly with the 12K carbon CURV composite material, a combination that aims to improve the skate's rigidity and responsiveness. With the outsole also being 40% stiffer, acceleration, support, and push-off power are all enhanced, making it perfect for quick reactions on the ice. The increased stiffness ensures better energy transfer, allowing players to maximize their stride efficiency and sustain that desired peak performance throughout the game.
New ErgoCONNECT Toe Cap
Bauer has also introduced the new ErgoCONNECT toe cap, which features a redesigned shape for improved integration between the toe cap and boot. This design effectively stiffens the toe section of the skate and makes it feel more connected for greater responsiveness, comfort, and agility.
The most noticeable part of the toe cap, as you’ll see, is in the last eyelet; it is now built into the toe and no longer needs to be tied up. In hindsight, it does make sense— the front eyelets are always a bit difficult to tie and much too stiff to tighten effectively. This design keeps the front of the skate in place and snug on your foot, offering better comfort and support on quick transitions without sacrificing performance.
New Powerfly Blade Holder with Fly Steel
The Shadow features the innovative Powerfly holder, designed to enhance both energy transfer and maneuverability on the ice. This new holder has a stiffer front post and a more flexible back post, looking to offer a dual benefit for skaters. As you can guess, the front and back posts have their own characteristics that help round out that power skating style; it’s no longer just on the skate runner, but the holder can contribute to stride too.
The stiff front post of the Powerfly holder significantly increases energy transfer, allowing for more powerful strides and greater acceleration. This design ensures every part of your push can translate efficiently into power, providing that extra advantage you need to outpace your opponents.
On the other hand, the flexible back post enhances side-to-side movement. This flexibility promotes quicker, more agile turns and better lateral movement, for when you need to change direction quickly at a moment’s notice. These qualities are most often seen in the Vapor line, but in today’s fast-paced environment, it's a major asset to any power player looking to up their game.
Final Thoughts
I’ve always characterized myself as more of a power and technique-focused skater, as opposed to an agility skater, and Supreme skates have always been my go-to ever since I started playing more elite-level hockey. I personally find it interesting to see the Supreme line starting to integrate more agility-focused tech into the construction; considering the current speed of the game, it was going to be a necessary step for power-focused skates to take. We’re excited to see this skate in action.
