Wearing a helmet is one of the best ways to stay safe and reduce your chances of an injury or concussion. Unfortunately, not all helmets are equal in terms of protection. My choice for the best hockey helmet to prevent concussions is the Bauer Re-Akt 150.
Before I took my first stride on a pair of skates when I was only a few years old, I was already taught the importance of wearing a helmet. It will protect your head during falls, hard hits, impact with the boards, and other potentially dangerous situations.
The Bauer Re-Akt 150 is a helmet full of XRD foam for high-end protection, as well as VTX technology for impact resistance. But this helmet offers more than just protection as it is also very comfortable to wear, fits well, and can even be adjusted.
If you are looking for solid protection in a versatile helmet, it is a good choice. However, if you are looking for a youth helmet or one that is focused solely on protection, there are other options for you to consider, as well.
Read on to learn a bit more about some of the most protective hockey helmets and decide which is right for you.
Contents
Top Hockey Helmets to Prevent Concussions
Here are some of my favorite options, along with some more information about each choice.
1. Bauer Re-Akt 150
- Best for: Players who want a good overall helmet with strong protection.
- Protection: VTX technology, XRD foam, and other technologies.
- Comfort: A comfort pod liner with soft foam.
- Sizing and Fit: Tool-free adjustment to both the length and width of the helmet.
This helmet is a great choice for a player who wants an incredibly protective helmet and a lot of other great things going for it. It has a freeform adjustment system for a great fit and a comfort liner with a contoured design for a better fit.
As far as protection goes, this helmet uses a lot of top-end technologies. It contains XRD foam and layered construction of protection to protect against all impacts. The VTX technology also provides additional protection for impact in key areas of the head.
The helmet looks great, has a strong design, and is perfect for elite players. One drawback of this helmet is that it isn’t great at absorbing sweat. This isn’t an issue for all, but it could run down your face and be a little distracting if you sweat a lot.
==> You can also get it on HockeyMonkey.com (USA) or HockeyMonkey.ca (Canada).
2. Warrior Alpha One
- Best for: Players who value protection solely over everything else.
- Protection: Several inclusions aimed specifically at protecting your head.
- Comfort: A polygiene liner to keep you cool.
- Sizing and Fit: A precision dial for adjusting the fit.
If you want nothing but the best when it comes to protection, consider this helmet. It features a one-piece shell that is designed to distribute impacts. Inside the helmet, there is a Visonic diffusion plate that protects key areas like your frontal lobe.
The helmet also features an EPP foam barrier, and all of the protective features help with different impact levels. There is also a dial on the back of the helmet to help adjust the size to get the perfect fit.
While there are comfort features within this helmet, it is still a little bit bulky and uncomfortable for some. When designing for protection, some comfort-related consolations may need to be made. It’s far from terrible, but not as comfortable as some other helmets on the market.
==> You can also get it on HockeyMonkey.com (USA) or HockeyMonkey.ca (Canada).
3. CCM Fitlite 3DS Youth
- Best for: Youth players looking to stay safe.
- Protection: Multi-density foam, back of the head protection and a cage.
- Comfort: Top layer of foam is designed for comfort.
- Sizing and Fit: Straps, cage, and the rest of the helmet can all be adjusted.
Hockey helmets are always crucial to wear, but especially for youth players who are more prone to falling. This helmet from CCM offers plenty of protective features to keep them as safe as possible.
It has multi-density foam, specifically placed back of the head protection, and a cage to keep their face safe from sticks, pucks, and falls. In addition to being very safe for your child, this helmet also features adjustment so you can fine-tune the fit and get more use out of the helmet.
A downside of this helmet is that it is a little heavy, compared to some other youth helmets on the market. The thick foam is very protective but does add a bit of bulk. Your child may not even notice, but there is always a chance they do.
==> You can also get it on HockeyMonkey.com (USA) or HockeyMonkey.ca (Canada).
Best Hockey Helmet to Prevent Concussions: What to Look for
If you are looking for the best hockey helmet to prevent concussions, be sure to look for and consider these things.
Protection
Of course, if you are looking to minimize impact and reduce the chances of a concussion taking place, you need to ensure the helmet you get offers optimal protection. It should protect all parts of your head not only with the hard outer shell but foam and other materials, as well.
The materials should be high-quality and the entire helmet should be constructed well. Whether the impact is relatively light, or very hard, you want to ensure your helmet is up to the task of keeping you safe.
Sizing and Fit
If a helmet fits well, it can do much more for protecting you than a helmet that is too loose or too tight. Many helmets are specially designed to be worn a certain way, and if you wear it incorrectly, the protection is compromised.
You need to ensure you know your size when it comes to helmets and do your best to try them on for size before debuting them in a game.
Comfort
While the protection of the helmet is the most important thing, if you are looking to reduce concussions and minimize impact, you also want the helmet to be comfortable. An uncomfortable or overly bulky helmet could distract you during the game and hold you back.
It should feature materials that are comfortable on the head, and the weight of the helmet shouldn’t be too much. You will be wearing this helmet for an hour (if not longer), so you need to ensure it doesn’t make your neck or head sore or uncomfortable.
My Verdict
My pick for the best hockey helmet to prevent concussions is the Bauer Re-Akt 150. It offers not only top-of-the-line protection but also a very good fit and a high level of comfort.
About Kale
Kevin
thanks for this article. trying to reconcile conflicting information on hockey helmets best for concussion prevention – you cite the re-akt 150, and there is an online study by Virginia Tech that ranks it middle of the pack here: https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/hockey-helmet-ratings.html
also got different recommendation from our local pro shop that the best is CCM super tacks x, which ranks 62 of 63 helmets tested.
so you can see my confusion. Have a 15 y.o. with concussion history, so I’m looking for the best I can find. any thoughts on the VA Tech study?
Kale
I definitely understand your confusion. It looks like a very interesting study and seems well done. When faced with a decision like this, I don’t think it can be a bad idea to follow the science.
While the Re-Akt 150 has all the features of a durable and protective helmet and fits well, I didn’t run the type of tests that Virginia Tech has for their study.
Jason Kaluski
Based on what testing are these the best helmets of 2023? The Virgina Tech study disagree’ s and CSA refuses to acknowledge their findings. Kids are getting concussions based on lack of testing and rankings of helmets provided by manufacturers and CSA. Its a shame and misleading articles like this don’t help. For the record my son just got a concussion wearing the Re-Akt 150. No helmet can eliminate a concussion but with proper design, improved foams that are available and proper fit you can reduce concussions and their severity. That info is kept from parents. CSA Criteria for making a helmet safe is the it protects you from a skull fracture and brain bleed, concussions are not part of the equation. Look at how poor most of the newest helmets score in the Virginia tech rankings not to mention they had to change the scoring for hockey helmets as not could get past a 3 star score.
Kale
I’m sorry to hear about your son, I hope he is doing better and is recovering well. You’re right, no helmet can completely eliminate the risk of concussion or other injuries occurring. Choosing one that fits right and features the best materials and design can help mitigate the risk and lower the severity, but injuries can always occur, it’s true.
I hope the manufacturers continue to innovate and focus on making helmets that are as safe as possible for both kids and adults to wear. I certainly would like to see more testing and openness in the space, as well.