Easton’s Mako II skate ready to hit the ice

By Robert Bondy – 

Easton is continuing to make ripples in the hockey world, this time going against the grain of traditional hockey skates by building on their free-moving skate option with their latest Mako II.

The Mako II is the latest gem from Easton, with the business looking to piggyback off its original skate’s success that allows the player to be in a more athletic stance. The skate has a smaller, less restrictive boot that is able to allow the player to move with more ease. Easton’s ‘Chief of Speed’ David Cruikshank said through extensive testing, it is evident the low-cut boot design helps create more down force which leads to a 13-percent faster skating speed.

“The tradition in hockey skates is to build very fit sidewalls and a very stiff upper portion of the boot thinking that will give more support, but actually what that did was restrict the movement,” Cruikshank said. “We built to the equipment that leans toward putting the athlete down low so they can be athletic and therefore you see the increases in speed because of the physics of it.”

Another a new technical aspect about the Mako II that creates more down force and speed is the connection between the steel blade, holder and carbon boot. Cruikshank said his team went about the process different from other designers in the market, connecting all three together to put the player in a more athletic stance.

The Mako II’s new high-tech “active extendon guard” on the heel of the skate also will help players move with ease. The Mako II’s tendon guard is more flexible then most skates, helping the athlete create a more natural movement.

“(When) athletes try to go back to a normal skate with an extendon guard, it’s quite a bit stiffer and they really feel like their movement is restricted therefore their speed is slow,” Cruikshank said.

Cruikshank added that the tendon guard works in conjunction with a “u-shaped” back end of the skate where the athlete’s Achilles tendon slides into the “u-shape” on a full stride. This makes the athlete not “even notice that you have anything on” and focus solely on skating and the game.

Other improvements from the original Mako range from a new color scheme to more foam padding for a longer lasting tighter fit. Maybe considered one of the less scientific changes to the skate, Cruikshank said the organization went with a more traditional look by changing the colors to black and silver, which has gotten great reviews.

The new and improved Mako II also features a stronger foam package for a tighter fit for the player. Through this improved foam package, the skate is more robust and is able to have a tighter fit that will last throughout the season.

Cruikshank also said the Mako II team addressed rubbing and irritation issues with the original product through increasing the width of the lateral side.

“We had some rubbing issues on the Mako I so we basically build out on side wall a little bit,” Cruikshank said. “Great success with that as well, no irritation above the ankle bone like we had before.”

Overall, Cruikshank and his team believe the Mako II is going to give players the best advantage on the ice and provide a more free moving skate option that feels better on the feet.

“We’re continuing a great tradition of really adapting with it and really supporting the foot from the ankle down allowing for a more mobile skate that you can really get an athletic stance in,” Cruikshank said.

The new Mako II skate is set to be released on June 20, with interested hockey players and athletes able to pick up a pair at your local hockey goods store.