CCM Axis - 2020 Premier Replacement

[cwarnar]

Replacement for the Premier line... Thoughts or guesses on the line?  I'm going with stiff, competing with the 2S or MAX Optik 2.

[Peter36]

Is CCM just revamping the premier line, or the eflex line too?

[seagoal]

Seems like everyone in the comments on Instagram is speculating this is competition for the 2S and Optik pads.  Isn't the Premier already the competition for those?

Other than graphics, I don't see how the Premier and 2S or Optik are that different.   Light, stiff, minimal velcro stapping, reduced outer roll....etc.

Every company has the "stiff line" and the "not-so-stiff line" of pads. 

Stiff: 2S, Optik, SLR, Premier

Not-so-stiff: 2X, Gnetik, Velocity, EFlex

These are just the ones on TV.

My guess would be that Axis is something new.

Edited September 3, 2019 by seagoal

[Max27]

1 minute ago, seagoal said:

Other than graphics, I don't see how the Premier and 2S or Optik are that different.   Light, stiff, minimal velcro stapping, reduced outer roll....etc.

Round roll, boot angle, sliding materials

2s is much stiffer than premier, especially in the boot

optik is much thinner than both, and has the really thinned out outer roll while bauer angles it and ccm has standard size still

[seagoal]

Just now, Max27 said:

Round roll, boot angle, sliding materials

2s is much stiffer than premier, especially in the boot

optik is much thinner than both, and has the really thinned out outer roll while bauer angles it and ccm has standard size still

Sure, there are minor differences.  They are not identical pads.

But in terms of a competitive category of pads........

(see my added stuff above)

[ThatCarGuy]

1 hour ago, cwarnar said:

MAX Optik 2

Huh? Care to share more? 

[Peter36]

What I'm wondering is if CCM's "Axis" is a project similar to ODIN.

[Max27]

15 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Sure, there are minor differences.  They are not identical pads.

But in terms of a competitive category of pads........

(see my added stuff above)

As far as who the lines are designed for, theyre similar. Theyre designed to be stiffer, looser fitting pads. However, from what i felt when i checked pads out in pure goalie, 

Stiff- 2s pro, s29

Flexible- Ef4, Optik (both chassis), P2, GT, Gnetik IV

not stiff, but not soft (medium)- G4, SLR1/2, V8

Honestly, i added the s29 bc it was extremely stiff for a mid level pad. i know they have an nxg core but theyre still VERY stiff for a mid price point pad. MUCH stiffer than its competitors like the P2.9, G4 Senior,  Slr pro (not pro carbon), etc

Maybe i use a lot of force when flexing my pads, but i didnt find too many pads in the store to be that crazy stiff, i could flex a lot of them pretty easily.

Edited September 3, 2019 by Max27

[motowngoalie]

25 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Seems like everyone in the comments on Instagram is speculating this is competition for the 2S and Optik pads.  Isn't the Premier already the competition for those?

Other than graphics, I don't see how the Premier and 2S or Optik are that different.   Light, stiff, minimal velcro stapping, reduced outer roll....etc.

Every company has the "stiff line" and the "not-so-stiff line" of pads. 

Stiff: 2S, Optik, SLR, Premier

Not-so-stiff: 2X, Gnetik, Velocity, EFlex

These are just the ones on TV.

My guess would be that Axis is something new.

I believe the Premier line is going away. A replacement with a new name would make sense.

They're probably not ready to replace the EFlex line with their flagship goalies still in it (who all seem to favor a flexible pad - Holtby, Bobs, Price).

[A.YOUNGoalie13]

Axis is replacing premier so it will still be competing against SLR and the other stiff models from other companies

[cwarnar]

2 hours ago, ThatCarGuy said:

Huh? Care to share more? 

Brians will be offering a 3rd chassis on the Optik 2, Max will be added to the existing FLY and FLX

[Murray]

I've seen these, though not in person.

They're a STIFF pad. The graphic, and application of said graphic, is going to be divisive/spark some discussion.

The most interesting thing I've heard is that these are the first non-CCM & Lefevre pad - they're apparently parting ways.

[coopaloop1234]

14 minutes ago, Murray said:

The most interesting thing I've heard is that these are the first non-CCM & Lefevre pad - they're apparently parting ways.

That's definitely interesting to hear.

[cwarnar]

21 minutes ago, Murray said:

The most interesting thing I've heard is that these are the first non-CCM & Lefevre pad - they're apparently parting ways.

Wow... I'm curious what that means for the EF line

[keeperton]

3 hours ago, Murray said:

The most interesting thing I've heard is that these are the first non-CCM & Lefevre pad - they're apparently parting ways.

Do you mean since they started doing stuff together? I really liked the CCM Heaton stuff back in the day because of how much they pushed the industry.

[TheGoalNet]

Known about this for awhile and been trying to share what I could and drop bread crumbs. Will ask tomorrow about what I’m able to share and not share around this line. 

Expect to see everyone in P2 to start camp this year 

[Murray]

1 hour ago, TheGoalNet said:

Known about this for awhile and been trying to share what I could and drop bread crumbs. Will ask tomorrow about what I’m able to share and not share around this line. 

Expect to see everyone in P2 to start camp this year 

I just heard a few things. From my understanding, the earliest we'll possibly see the Axis gear is the ASG.

[TheGoalNet]

Saw Axis today in pictures. Very impressed. It's definitely a new direction for CCM and won't be a Larceny or Blockade reboot like some people have speculated.

[ULTIMA]

6 hours ago, TheGoalNet said:

Saw Axis today in pictures. Very impressed. It's definitely a new direction for CCM and won't be a Larceny or Blockade reboot like some people have speculated.

Tell me it's just a name change with new lipstick and tweaks.

Or is it something very different?

[cwarnar]

38 minutes ago, ULTIMA said:

Tell me it's just a name change with new lipstick and tweaks.

Or is it something very different?

Everything I've heard is big change

[Puckstopper]

I'll be very interested to see how this plays out.  Premier was CCM's longest standing line (dating back to Reebok days) and was incredibly successful over the years.  Personally I thought there were still a couple of evolutionary tweaks that would have allowed the line to run for at least one more iteration, but given all the hotness I've seen from CCM in the last 18 months I'm more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this release.

[creasecollector]

I'm sure the CCM AXIS line will be great. I don't see any reason to beleive it won't be.

But man, I'm going to miss the Premier line. Wish they could keep it around. Ah well, it is what it is I guess.

[cwarnar]

36 minutes ago, creasecollector said:

I'm sure the CCM AXIS line will be great. I don't see any reason to beleive it won't be.

But man, I'm going to miss the Premier line. Wish they could keep it around. Ah well, it is what it is I guess.

I think its a nostalgic or anecdotal thing.  As has been said other than the pad core/face and the inside roll, the Eflex and Premier can essentially be spec'd the same.  And from a market demand perspective they need a change.

[goalieThreeOne]

I'll chime in on this as a Bauer guy.

When shopping for my most recent set of pads, I of course did my homework and took a look at all the options out there, just so I could be sure Vapors were the right fit from me. When taking a look at CCM, despite all the marketing that says they're lighter, more advanced, etc. they still were perceived by me as kind of old and clunky when compared to some of the stuff Bauer and Warrior, and in some respect, Vaughn. I know you old school guys are rolling your eyes at that because you're not one for gimmicks and marketing. But I think there's a good portion of younger goalies coming up that are looking at all the offerings and looking at Premiers as "your dad's goalie pads". Whether or not that's true isn't the point. From a pure marketing standpoint, if you're trying to grow that audience, making incremental bullet point improvements to your pads that are perceived to be a cycle behind the competitors ain't gonna do it.

I think CCM has noticed this, and decided to break from the Premier line altogether while severing ties with Lefevre like Bauer did with JRZ. Goalies interested in the newest latest and greatest are probably gonna take a second look at a new pad, where they might not have looked at CCM before. It will still cater to the same style of play, but whether or not it will backfire by alienating more Premier loyalists than it attracts new customers will have to be seen. However what's more intriguing to me is what this could mean for EFlex if they decide to go the same route there.

[seagoal]

@goalieThreeOne

That was a great post and a pretty accurate take on things. 

I think my aversion to current Bauer stuff is the inverse support for your point about "dad's goalie pads" to a large extent.  I don't think that designation is as clear cut as it might suggest, but I think for the most part it is accurate.

My subjective take on the big names in terms of Modern/New ---> Old School/"Dad's"  is :   Bauer, Warrior, Brian's, CCM/Vaughn (almost no distinction)

My personal interest as a potential buyer in terms of High ---> Low is:  Vaughn, CCM, Brian's, Bauer, Warrior

For me the designation is nearly perfectly correlated.

All that said, when I look at gear, whether it be in my hands or from afar on here or TV, I just don't see huge gaps between any company.  I see minor tweaks on the same concepts......with Bauer being the one that stands out the most.  2S, Premier, SLR, Optik.....they are superficially the same and there really isn't anything that draws a Wow!...that's different. 

If i were 17 now, I'd be in Bauer almost certainly.  What irks me the most about Bauer is honestly just the skin.  It just looks too flat to me.  I might be old school but I like the look of stitching and sewn on graphics.  Meh.  But I do have Pro laces and not an ounce of leather and no thigh strap and no boot strap, so there's that, too.  I have evolved as a goalie, up to a point.

Edited September 5, 2019 by seagoal