Evaluation of a youth ice hockey helmet test protocol against an adult helmet test protocol

Current ice hockey helmet certification standards are based on adult anthropometric data and may not adequately protect youth players in the Learn-to-Play age group (5–8 years old). This study evaluated a youth protocol by comparing head impact kinematics and maximum principal strain with those generated under an adult protocol across three impact events: head-to-ice, head-to-boards, and shoulder-to-head. A Hybrid III 5th percentile headform was used with scaled impact masses and Learn-to-Play-representative velocities, while the University College Dublin Brain Trauma Model V2.0 calculated maximum principal strain. Two helmets, the CCM FL500 and CCM Tacks 710, were evaluated under both protocols. Results indicated that the adult protocol produced significantly higher kinematics and maximum principal strain for compliant impacts, while head-to-ice conditions generated comparable maximum principal strain across protocols despite lower youth velocities, attributable to differences in headform mass. The findings suggest that adult-based protocols may not fully represent youth head impact conditions, particularly for head-to-ice events.