Jake DeBrusk Is Using New Stick That Has Hole In The Blade, And It’s Weird

Jake DeBrusk apparently isn’t afraid of messing with a good thing, as he becomes something of a pioneer in the NHL.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Wednesday in his weekly “31 Thoughts” column pointed out how DeBrusk recently has been using a new stick, scoring a goal with it in the B’s Tuesday night win over the Vegas Golden Knights. DeBrusk’s new twig — the Bauer Nexus ADV — isn’t your typical hockey stick.

The Nexus ADV is unique in its blade design. There’s actually a pretty big hole that runs across most of the blade, which seems … odd.

Here’s a photo of DeBrusk using the stick in a recent game:

Photo via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports Images

“(Blues center) Brayden Schenn was the first to use it in an NHL game about two weeks ago. I’m not sure if DeBrusk broke the maiden on goals, but it was his second time using it, with the first coming Jan. 11 against the Islanders,” Friedman wrote Wednesday.

At the risk of taking issue with the reporting from one of the NHL’s best reporters, Friedman has one part of that wrong, at least judging by photo evidence. It appears DeBrusk has been using the stick since the Bruins’ Jan. 11 game against the Islanders, as Friedman noted. But Tuesday’s game wasn’t the second time he used the stick. DeBrusk has used the stick in each game since, meaning he’s played five games since the change.

And the so-called “maiden goal,” as Friedman notes, actually would have come in that Jan. 11 game against the Isles, as DeBrusk lit the lamp in Boston’s win, although it’s hard to credit the stick too much for that tally.

As for the big question — you know, why there’s a hole in the hockey stick — it’s hard to get a lot of information. There’s nothing on the Bauer site about the technology, at least not the SlingTech itself specifically. A quick Google search doesn’t turn up much, either, but the Hockey World Blog kicked around some theories last week.

“The intent of this hole, or SlingTech, is not clear at this point,” they write, “but we can certainly make some assumptions. It is likely that Bauer was looking to enhance the blade by making it lighter and stronger while also improving your release and accuracy.”

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The fascinating thing about DeBrusk’s move is that he did so after scoring two goals on Jan. 9 against Winnipeg. You’d think he might want to stick with the stick that put two pucks in the net, but DeBrusk clearly isn’t the superstitious type, at least not in this case.

Whatever works.