Did you know that goalie shafts come in different shapes?
It may not seem all that important to a field player, but once a goalie knows about the different shapes, it can change their game forever. There are a few different manufacturers that make goalie shafts: STX, Brine, Warrior, East Coast Dyes Epoch and Gait. Just like attack and defense shafts, goalie shafts mainly come the standard octagon shape-Warrior Krypto Pro Diamond, Brine F15, ECD Carbon, Epoch Dragonfly, STX Shield 7075 and STX Shield SC.
The goalie shafts that have the irregular shapes are the Gait Ice and STX Outlet. The Gait Ice has a concave shape which allows the goal to keep a better grip on the stick while in position. It is also extremely lightweight! The STX Outlet is different from everyone else; the back of the shaft is smooth and meant to sit in the crux of your hand between your thumb and pointer finger (think teardrop shape). There are two grooves on the sides of the shaft that you can feel with your pointer finger and thumb-which is weird at first-but it's made that way so that the face of the head is always facing out. Most goalies tap the side bars on a consistent basis, to make sure their angles are correct and hugging the post. While doing this however, the shaft can twist in your hands and the front of the head-the widest part-is no longer facing out. These little side grooves help you feel that the stick is in the correct position without looking down.
There is never a right or wrong shaft for goalies, it is always personal preference and once a goalie knows what works for him/her, that's what they will generally stick with for a few years.