CCM Jetspeed FT8 Pro Hockey Gloves Review
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Time to read 5 min
Hockey is a game of split-second decisions—but when overheating can fog up your focus, even elite players lose their edge. Enter next season with the Jetspeed FT8 Pro hockey gloves, looking to keep you cooler, drier, and more connected to your stick when it matters most. With the use of CCM’s AER-TEC Thermoregulation System, backed by extensive research, the FT8 Pro protective series can help keep you in the game from the start of the first period all the way to the final minute of the game.
Feel Cooler, Play Smarter: AER-TEC Thermoregulation System
If you read our piece on the FT8 Pro Protectives already, then you will have heard about the Aer-Tec Thermoregulation System that is the core of CCM’s Jetspeed line. Strategically placed ventilation ports and a suspension mesh liner create airflow channels, allowing heat to escape while wicking moisture away from the hands. This keeps players’ hands cool and dry, enhancing grip and control while stickhandling. The Polygiene-treated liner further prevents odour buildup, ensuring long-term freshness.
Extensive research into the relationship between temperature and fatigue in sports led to thermoregulation being a major focus in the Jetspeed FT8 protective equipment, and that includes the gloves. Studies have found that overheating can accelerate muscle fatigue. In particular, CCM partnered with the University of Ottawa to design a testing protocol to quantify the effect of overheating during the game, and used that research to inform the direction and design of the gear. The Jetspeed FT8 Pro glove isn’t just designed to connect your hands to your stick and the puck better, but also keep you cool, increase recovery, and help you last longer throughout the game.
AER-TEC vs NestTech - Two Stories
When the Hockey Shop tested the FT8 Pro gear, one key question surfaced: “Is there NestTech in the Jetspeed?” It's a question that highlights one big aspect that CCM is looking to focus on their next releases. The answer reveals CCM's Two Stories narrative : where Jetspeed prioritizes mobility and cooling, Tacks emphasizes maximum protection.
The simple answer is: No, there is no NestTech in the Jetspeed gloves . NestTech is comparable to AER-TEC , based on the look and design of the two techs, with both having been formed with increasing aeration in mind (to different degrees). AER-TEC in the Jetspeed family , as we know, is strategically placed mesh that suspends the gear just above your body while you play. The ventilation channels between the gear and your skin promote ventilation, keeping you cool and dry for longer.
NestTech is specific to Tacks by design . NestTech is a 3D-printed lattice technology, which is more protective but despite using a “honeycomb” design throughout to increase ventilation, it doesn’t compare to AER-TEC in keeping you cool.
Jetspeed FT8 Pro Glove: Other Features
Of all the equipment involved in hockey, four stand out as the most important: helmet, skates, gloves, and stick. If just one of these pieces of equipment doesn’t quite fit, it could greatly hinder performance or personal protection. As a beginner, it’s always okay to ask a sales associate for extra help on this gear when deciding what fits you best.
Sensalast Pro Palm
The Sensalast Pro palm combines the familiar feel of a high-end pro palm with the Sensalast reinforcement, so the glove both lasts an
boosts grip, flexibility, and stick control while mirroring AER-TEC’s philosophy—not through ventilation channels, but still by enhancing aeration. The palm itself is designed to allow for better airflow and speedy drying. It’s extremely soft and durable, adding to that connection between your hands, your stick, and the puck.
When I got to try the gloves myself, the palm was one of the first things I noticed—and I can't stress enough just how important the palm is for both comfort and control when playing hockey. Protection is important, of course, but what makes gloves shine at the higher levels is in the palm and how the gear can enhance the way you play, and that's exactly what the Sensalast Pro Palm looks to do.
As mentioned, this palm is designed to dry quickly, much like the rest of the glove. Along with Polygiene and Odorcrunch liner treatments, it’s able to prevent that clammy, overheated feeling that can build up throughout the game.
Improved Pro Flex Thumb
Another big feature we noticed right away with the FT8 Pro glove is the Pro Flex thumb, offering noticeably greater flexibility than previous models, and even others in the FT8 series, for more seamless puck handling. Any extra control you can have over your stickhandling and the puck can give you the edge you need in the game, and that's exactly what the flexible, two-piece design of the Pro Flex thumb looks to offer. It really feels like you’re given full freedom of movement when maneuvering your hand along the stick. And of course, another big benefit is that you get all of this added flexibility without sacrificing thumb protection.
Note that this Pro thumb is only on the FT8 Pro glove. The second and third price point gloves use a more standard glove construction with a high level of protection, but their thumbs are not as flexible.
Final Words
It’s been exciting to watch CCM define their “Two Stories” narrative between Jetspeed and Tacks. It truly started being defined with the FT6 and AS-V series, and we’re beginning to see that distinction even more with every new iteration.
We were big fans of the FT6 Pro glove, and that undoubtedly extends to the FT8 Pro. Thermoregulation in hockey is so important for keeping you playing at your best—and that’s true in any sport. Hockey is fast-paced and requires you to use your entire body, from head to toe, so finding ways to keep your body cool all throughout, even in your hands, is just as important as protecting yourself; and with the FT8, you’ll be getting the best of both worlds. We can’t wait to see what Jetspeed and the FT8 series can do out on the ice.
Further Reading and Research
“AER-TEC.” CCM.com, n.d. Source Link.
Donnan, Kate J. et al. “The effectiveness of heat preparation and alleviation strategies for cognitive performance: A systematic review.” Temperature: Multidisciplinary Biomedical Journal, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 404-433, 4 Jan 2023. Source Link.
“Hot Environments.” Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, n.d. Source Link.
Piil, Jacob F. et al. “Direct exposure of the head to solar heat radiation impairs motor-cognitive performance.” Sci Rep, vol. 10, no. 7812, 2020. Source Link.
