There is no perfect hockey bag. But the two standout options from Conway+Banks are pretty darn close. Let’s review the Conway+Banks Hockey Bag and Louise Pond Backpack.

The Sparx BEAM represents an interesting leap in skate sharpening tech, offering an "integrated sharpening experience" paired with the Sparx Sharpener 3. It serves the function of the traditional Sparx Edge Checker while also playing a role in sharpener calibration. Some may see BEAM as a mere upgrade over the edge checker, but it's more than that. It ships included with the Sparx Sharpener 3, and based on my experience, you won't need an edge checker as a backup. If you own the Sharpener 2 or the ES100, BEAM will still work, but the overall benefits are less clear.

Sparx Hockey has launched the Sharpener 3, a successor to my much-loved original ES100 skate sharpener that takes design inspiration from the Sparx Sharpener 2.