6 Best hockey shooting pads (2022) – tips + reviews

Want to work on your hockey skills off the ice? There are now many solutions making it possible. 
Below is my guide to help you find the best hockey shooting pads for your needs: durability, quality of the slide, ease of setting-up...
Great options to work on your shooting and stick-handling skills.

They make great gift ideas for hockey players!

This article may contain affiliate Links (info on the Disclosure page). If you purchase using my link, I get a commission at no extra cost to you.

Best hockey shooting pads - Summary

Time to practice on the ice is limited. So, if you want an edge (or even just because you love it), shooting pads are a great solution to practice both your shooting skills and your stick-handling skills.
However for them to be useful they need to be:

• of good performance - stable and sliding well, as close as possible to ice
• durable - you don't want them to break on the first practice!
• adapted to your needs - is it a fixed set up or do you need to move it frequently?

I will enter into the details of criteria and products in the next sections. But first, this is the summary of my choices for best hockey shooting pads:

Best hockey shooting pad - stiff board format

• Smooth glide
• Easy to move with a handle
• Option to purchase with or without a passer to help with practice

You can find higher-end product, but the reality is that none can really compete with ice. It can't be as smooth. Read the reviews and you will see that price does not really mean better surface.

Best hockey shooting tiles (interlocking)

• Create the surface shape and size you want - great to maximize your training options and practice with a friend
• However, you want to choose the location, set it up and not move it
• Option is to have a kit with color-coded tiles and passers, in order to practice specific skills with accuracy 

Best hockey shooting training surface - synthetic ice

• A more complete off-ice training experience: you can skate on them! 
• Buy as many panels as you want and create the rink size you need for practice
• More expensive
• However, note that it is not ice. It cannot be as smooth as ice. This is as close as you can get with a manufactured surface.
• Learn more on my article about the best synthetic ice for hockey training

Note: remember that they do imitate ice. So, they are slippery when walking on them! Be careful.

How to choose a hockey shooting board

Why do your need a shooting board?

Time to practice on the ice is sadly limited (unless you have your own private ice rink... one can dream).
This is no reason not to practice though. Even if you can't skate, you can still work on other elements of hockey playing:

• stick-handling of the puck
• shooting

You can try practicing on the ground, but your stick will get damaged and the sensation is just too different.
This is why you need a specific off-ice training equipment: a shooting surface. It imitates the ice for your stick to glide on it.

But how to choose it?

Different formats are possible: 

• pads (stiff boards)
• interlocking tiles
• synthetic ice

They can all be a good option. It really depends on your needs and budget.
Therefore, I am listing below the different criteria to consider when choosing the best shooting board for you.

Note - if practicing on shooting pads with friends, don't forget your mouthguards (the puck can go fast and stick can go up!)

Material - quality of surface

The first criteria that is essential is that the surface allows your pucks and stick to glide. Otherwise, there is no point.
This is why the most important here is to read the reviews on the marketplaces. This is how you will know if the claims of how slick the surface is, are really true.

However, note that it can never be as smooth as ice!

Durability

You don't want a shooting pad that is slick for 5 practices and then it is over.
It is quite an investment.
However, take the reviews with a grain of salt; Some will complain that their pads are not working any longer, but they might not have cleaned them or may have left them outside for dust and elements to fall on them.

Portability - where will it be used

Where will you practice?
In a fixed place in the basement, in the garage and sometimes outdoors? Do you need to move it?
The answers to those questions have a big impact on your choice.

Think it through before buying anything, otherwise you may regret your purchase.

The best option if your need a portable board, is the pad. Most of them have a handle, making them easier to transport.
The tiles should not be attached and de-attached frequently if you want to keep a smooth surface.

Size - how large should your shooting pad be?

For the pad, you have no choice, they are a fixed size.
However, if you are using tiles, you can add has many as you want in both directions. It gives you more flexibility on defining your training surface.

The size of your surface should be based on:

• your budget
• the space you have to set it up
• what you want to work on (a bigger surface means more exercises possible) - passing exercises, for example, required more space.
• the size of the player

You need at least enough room to do wide movements in both directions, otherwise there is no point.
 A 4ft-long pad feet is borderline in terms of space for an eight-year-old to practice wrist shots.

Price

• Stiff boards and roll-up mats are normally some of the cheaper options
• The price of tiles will depend on how many you purchase. The surface is often bigger, so the price is normally higher. Plus, you can start small, and add as your budget increase.
• The synthetic ice is the most expensive option, as it is a more technical product that offers you the possibility to skate on it.
• The cheapest option is a DIY shooting board. See instructions at the end of this article. But know that the quality of the glide cannot be the same.

Reviews of the shooting pads

Pros of the boards

• Easy to transport
• Do not need large surface to practice

Cons of the boards

• Limited size
• Cannot skate on them

Hockey Revolution board only

• Brand - Hockey Revolution
• Size - 30x60in
• 3/16 in thick, shooting surface of 1/8 inches thick
• Portability: handle
• Available with or without a passer to add other types of exercises
• Can be used with an interactive training system
• Made in Europe
• Puck slides great

A good training set to practice many exercises. Recognized as a very smooth surface.

Sniper's Edge Shooting pad

• Brand - Sniper's Edge
• Size - 3 sizes available (34x48 in - 28x52 in - 30x60 in) - from 8 years old, the bigger size is recommended
•  3/16 Inch Thick
• Portability: Handle
• Material: Slick Silicone Infused Surface
• Can be set up on almost all surfaces - indoor and outdoor
• Made in the USA
• Does not roll up
• Puck slides great

An overall good product for the price. The variety of size allow parents to purchase a small one for very young kids, before making a bigger investment.
The handle is practical to move it out of the way after practice.

Reviews of the best shooting tiles - options for large shooting pads

Pros of the tiles

• Size you want
• Shape you want
• Easy to assemble

Cons of the tiles

• Not as easy to move to another location
• Cannot skate on them

Review of the Sniper's Edge Tiles

• Size of tile - 12x12 in
• Quantity pack - 20 tiles in a pack
• Material - premium grade with UV coated protection, weatherproof coating - can be used outside on blacktop, concrete, sport court and inside in garage or basement.
• Easy to assemble - tiles just snap together
• Available in blue and white
• Made in the USA
• Puck slides great

An excellent quality - price performance, considering the size of the practice area you can create

Review of the Hockey Revolution Tiles

• Size of tile - 13x13 inches
• Quantity pack - 4, 8, 15, 20 or 40 tiles in a pack
• Material - can use them in both indoor and outdoor 
• Easy to assemble - tiles just snap together
• Made in Europe
• Puck slides great

Review of the Hockey practice set

• Size of tile - combination = 91 x 39.4 x 0.43 inches
• Quantity pack - 21 tiles - with a mix of colors and symbols (15 white, 6 colored)
• Material - can use them both indoor and outdoor 
• Set includes 2 passers and an application
• Made in Europe
• Puck slides great

A great combination of products if you want more guidance for your off-ice training. The combos will make you work on a variety of drills and stick-handling manoeuvres. It is especially good because the app makes you react rather than repeat the same movement.

Reviews of the best shooting surface - synthetic ice

Pros of the synthetic ice

• Size you want
• Shape you want
• Can skate on them

Cons of the synthetic ice

• Not easy to move to another location
• Need even more maintenance to avoid damaging your skates

Skate anytime Ice

One of the best synthetic ices to practice for hockey is the Skate Anytime material:

• They have a starter kit with only 8 panels, but you can add to them or get kits with 20, 36, 60 or 136 panels! Up to an ultimate rink!
• The tiles assemble easily 
• Indoor or outdoor - Lab tested for UV and sunlight protection and warm weather
• 5 years manufacturer warranty
• Many raving fans
• Just know that the skating needs some getting used to as it is not ice. It is as close as possible with manufactured material, but it cannot be ice.

How to take care of your shooting pads and tiles

As you practice and practice on your pads and tiles, the more the surface is going to lose sliding efficiency.
It is because there is a buildup of dirt and rubber.

However, it is essential they remain slick for the quality of your training.

• Before anything: Read the manual for tips specific to your surface.
• When not in use, protect them with a plastic cover or tarp, to reduce the quantity of dust falling on them (don't use fabric covers, as pieces of fabric may fall on the surface and create imperfections)
• Clean them up frequently so as to avoid frustration and change in slickness
• Even if they say you can park on it, don't - try to set them up in a place dedicated to training so as to limit interaction with shoes and others... you don't want to spend an hour cleaning before each practice
• If compatible with the material (check the manual) - Spray an all-purpose cleaner, stand on a clean and absorbent towel and shuffle your feet around the surface. Some also spray furniture polish after that.

3 Drills to practice & other equipment to help

There are many more you can do, check with your coach and check videos online. And don't forget to wear your hockey gloves to imitate on-ice practice!
But to get you started, here are 3 drills you can practice on those shooting pads or tiles - to be part of your hockey off-ice workouts:

Stick controlled jumps

• Pick up a puck off the surface with your stick
• Make it move along your stick by tiny jumps
• Try on both side of the stick

Flip pucks into bucket

• Dump several pucks on your surface
• Place a bucket in the middle
• Try flipping the puck straight it (or flip in the air and smack it down)

Make it more fun by training with a friend and counting how many times it goes in or not.

Figure 8

• Set up 2 pucks in front of you in front of your 2 feet
• Draw a figure 8 around them with your stick
• Set the pucks in front of each other and repeat
• You can add pucks to increase the challenge of moving the stick around

Complete your set up - other off-ice equipment to practice

You can also get further off-ice training equipment to help you practice your stick-handling and shooting:

• Pucks, of course, to be able to repeat your exercises several times in a row
• Goal targets or strong tarp with a goalie to practice precision of your shooting (but don't buy low quality as it will rip very fast) - see my article about the best hockey targets
• Passers rebounders - to imitate receiving a pass - see best options
• A training aid to create more shapes to practice around with your stick - see best options
• And you can combine with a slide board to imitate the skating - see the best slide boards for hockey training
• Or combine with a balance board to improve balance and hand-eye coordination - see the best balance boards for hockey training

Homemade hockey shooting pad DIY - how to make your own

If you budget is limited, it is possible to create your own shooting pad for cheaper.
However, know that the materials available at the hardware store will not be as slick.

1. Decide the size you want your pad to be (length and width)
2. Buy boards at the hardware store - options are melamine boards, thrifty tiles or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) boards 
3. Apply silicon lubricant or furniture polish onto the surface
4. Rub it in every little corner 
5. Wipe away the excess of product
6. Let it dry out completely
7. Reapply silicon lubricant or furniture polish to the surface - as needed after multiple uses.

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