Built for speed, agility, and stability, the Jetspeed FT8 Pro hockey skate is ready to put you a step ahead of the competition—literally. Let’s take a look at its specs, then determine if this skate is the right one for your game.

Graphics and Appearance

These skates sport the classic Jetspeed black base with red highlights colouration. You’ll also find some iridescence on the text logos and a few of the silver accents. If you’re a fan of the Jetspeed red and black look, then you’ll certainly enjoy these graphics.

The FT8 Pro additionally comes in a limited edition White variant, which uses the same features, just in a different colour. It keeps the black base, but the red accents in the standard skate are now either white or grey, and white has also been added along the facing and tendon guard.

The toe cap is quite rounded, especially for an asymmetrical design. If you’ve used CCM skates before, you may recognize this as being pretty standard for their hockey skates.

CCM redesigned the tongue with powerful lacebite protection, which you can see even on just the photos. The ribbed armour along the tongue is extremely rigid, while the inner ribbed cushion form-fits along your foot, so you can be sure that you’re getting some solid protection against both on-ice impacts and lacebite.

Jetspeed Skate Family, Stiffness Profile, and Skate Level

The FT8 Pro skate is part of the Jetspeed skate family, which focuses on all-around speed and acceleration. Its focus isn’t purely agility like the Ribcor once was, nor is it power like the Tacks family, but somewhere in between. That also puts its stiffness between Ribcor and Tacks, though as an elite-level skate, the FT8 Pro is still much stiffer than your average pair. You should already feel fairly confident in your skating before trying this stick out, since the stiffness won’t do you any favours if you’re still developing your stride. We recommend trying the skates out in a store first, particularly if you haven’t tried high-end Jetspeed skates before.

CCM rates this skate’s stiffness as “205” on their scale, which is a bit lower than the top-end Tacks skate (at 215), but still extremely stiff, especially if you are more of a recreational or lower-intermediate skater. If you are interested in Jetspeed skates, however, there are lower-level options, such as the FT8, FT890, FT880, FT870, and FT860.

CCM’s skates come in three fit options: tapered, regular, and wide.

Overall Feel

Please note that my experience may be a little different than others’.

With the Ribcor series no longer in the lineup, Jetspeed fills the speed and agility slot, which means these skates need maximum ankle support. I can definitely say these skates deliver on that.

I didn’t tie the top eyelet for my test, but it didn’t seem to matter much. The boot is stiff enough at the top to secure your ankles, and the ADPT memory foam around them does an excellent job of locking you in. That wrap-around coverage shows up in the ankle padding, tongue, and even the tendon guard.

The footbed is very thin, with tacky grips on the sides to further help hold you in place. Although this does make the skate a little less comfortable to stand in, it does keep your foot closer to the boot itself and greatly enhances support.

The tendon guard is pretty unique for a top-of-the-line skate. Visibly, it doesn’t look as aggressive as some of the lighter, primarily plastic tendon guards you see out there, but it’s not just carbon and standard padding either. The inside is lined with the same material as the ankle padding, suggesting that they do expect you to use it while skating. Every part of this skate is built to help you push off hard and fast, and the ADPT tendon and tongue both add recoil to your stride for more efficient transitions. Coupled with the aggressive pitch, the tendon and tongue function kind of like “springs” every time you stride.

Boot

Part of what gives the skate an extremely stiff profile is the FORS composite in the boot, which is exclusive to CCM. This composite involves weaving premium materials together, with the inclusion of a high-end core. The midsole is made up of lightweight composite material to further enhance energy transfer.

CCM designed the boot with an aggressive speed pitch, which essentially refers to the angle of the blade relative to the boot. Putting it into even simpler terms, the angle helps promote a bit of a forward lean when skating, which helps with acceleration.

Stiffer boots might be tougher to break in or get used to, especially if it’s your first elite-level skate, but they tend to be much more durable, have better weight distribution, and more stability than softer boots. To know for sure if this is the right fit, or if a lower-end skate might work best, you can always consult with a skate expert.

Along the inside of the skate is CCM’s ADPT memory foam and a Polygiene liner to keep your feet comfortable and feeling fresh throughout the game.

Steel and Holder

The skate uses CCM’s Speedblade XS holder, which also includes their enhanced dial. This dial makes it super easy to pop your steel in and out, especially if you need to swap blades in a pinch mid-game.

CCM has included STEP Blacksteel with their highest-model skates. This high-quality steel is made with a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating that enhances both durability and glide. The steel is also a bit taller (+4mm), which extends the life of the blades.

Final Thoughts - Is This Skate the Right One for You?

As part of the Jetspeed family, the FT8 Pro skates are designed for players who prioritize quick feet and agility in their game. The powerful ankle support is gamechanger for these kinds of players, as it allows them to readjust their foot position mid-stride without losing any stability.

Again, this is an elite-level skate, and players considering this as their next hockey skate should be aware of how this classification also affects its stiffness profile. Although it’s not as rigid as top-end Tacks models, it is still a tough boot and will require relatively strong skating and an adjustment period for players who may not be used to this design yet.

Overall, CCM really delivered with this skate, especially for players wanting both power in their acceleration while keeping full stability and range of motion in their turns.