The Best Synthetic Ice [May 2023]

We all know that it’s great being at the ice rink, having fun with family or friends or maybe you enjoy putting hours of practice in to perfect your game, but there can be times when you just can’t get to practice what you want to.

Perhaps there’s too many people about for you to move that puck around quickly at the rink, and you can’t try out that new move that you’ve seen your favorite player make. Well, there is an alternative to the ice rink and its called synthetic ice.

Ok, so we know you’ve already heard of synthetic ice right, that’s why you’re here so let’s just explain a few things about synthetic ice before we start with the reviews.

Synthetic ice is a type of artificial ice that is used for ice hockey training and practice. It is made from a high-quality plastic material that is designed to mimic the properties of natural ice. This allows hockey players to practice their skills and techniques without the need for a real ice rink.

One of the main advantages of synthetic ice is its durability and low maintenance. Unlike natural ice, which needs to be constantly maintained and refrigerated, synthetic ice can be used for extended periods of time without any special care. It also does not require the use of water or electricity, making it an eco-friendly and cost-effective option for hockey training.

Often referred to as fake ice, plastic ice or artificial ice Its a misconception to believe that you can’t do the same things on synthetic ice that you can do on real ice.

All those essential moves such as stops, starts, crossovers, backward crossovers, toe kicks, and jumps can all be performed along with power turns and c-cuts.

As a training system it can easily be set up indoors or outdoors, you have the choice as to how often you train or for how long you train without the constraints and sometimes inconvenience that visiting your local ice rink brings. So this allows hockey players to practice their skills year-round, regardless of weather conditions. Synthetic ice can also be used for other ice sports, such as figure skating and ice dancing.

So if you really want to improve your ice hockey stickhandling, passing, puck movement, shooting, edge work, and one on one battles in tight quarters at your own pace then a synthetic ice system is the way to go.

We’ve taken a look at, and reviewed the best synthetic ice for hockey so that you can decide for yourself which system is best for you.

And don’t forget to head down to our essential accessories section, there’s lot’s of cool stuff there to help you get the best out of your game.

The Best Synthetic Ice Reviewed

Recommended	Brand	Full Review
Our Top Pick	Snipers Edge Synthetic Ice
Best Starter Kit	Skate Anytime Synthetic Ice for Hockey
Best for Training	Hockey Revolution Professional Training Flooring Tile
Alternative Best for Training	SuperDeker Advanced Hockey Training System

Click below to jump to each section in this review.

• Our Top Pick
• Best Starter Kit
• Best for Training
• Alternative Best for Training
• Essential Accessories
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Other Worthy Mentions

Our Top Pick : Snipers Edge Synthetic Ice

Each pack contains 32 square feet of synthetic ice panels. You get 4 panels each measuring 2 X 4 feet, and putting them together is a breeze.

The super strong interlocking panel design makes for a really smooth seamless surface, just simply tap down with a rubber mallet to ensure all joints are correctly aligned and connected.

These synthetic ice panels are very sturdy and at a whopping 5/16 of an inch thick, they’re strong, durable and are made to last.

Perfect for use in basements and garages, adding more panels if needed so you can increase your playing area to suit your own requirements.

This synthetic ice system can be used on any sturdy level base indoors and because of it’s UV protected coating it’s great for outdoors too.

No maintenance required here, these double-sided self-lubricating panels are tough and strong enough to withstand the hardest of training sessions.

What We Like:

• Self Lubricating Panels – No maintenance required to keep those skates moving freely, these panels self lubricate.
• Indoor Or Outdoor Use – These synthetic ice panels are UV protected, so outdoor use is an option you may find useful if indoor space is limited.
• Portable Ice Rink – Snipers Edge synthetic ice can be easily set up on firm, level surfaces and when playing time or practice time is over, it’s also quick and easy to dismantled too.

Check the latest price on Amazon.

Best Starter Kit: Skate Anytime Synthetic Ice for Hockey

This is our best starter kit choice and as such comes in cheaper than our previous review. The 8-panel starter kit gives you 24 square feet or 56.75″ x 60″ of playing area.

The synthetic panels are lightweight and super easy to slot together and if more playing area is needed then additional packs can be added together to increase the playing area to your preferred size.

The chunky 3 lb synthetic ice panels are 3/8″ thick and thanks to this thick construction it means that you won’t always need to put down plywood or under laminate first, as long as the sub base is solid and level.

So if you want to practice stick handling, passing practice, shooting skills or any other aspect of your game then now you can, whenever you want, rain or shine, inside and thanks to the UV and sunlight protection it has, it can be used outside too.

This really is a great product, and remember you can make the playing surface as big as you want too, it’s just a case of adding more Skate Anytime synthetic ice tiles.

If you need a little more convincing as to how good this package is, then check out the Skate Anytime video below.

These synthetic ice tiles are designed to withstand those tough game, practice, and training sessions which as we all know can get very, shall we say ‘competitive’ at times.

Skate Anytime is so confident in their synthetic ice system that they include a 5-year warranty with this product for your peace of mind.

What We Like:

• Easy To Set Up – Slots together easily, lightweight and portable ice like surface.
• Thick Construction – These tiles are chunky so you won’t always need to put down plywood or under laminate first, as long as the sub base is solid and level.
• Great Warranty Period – A 5 year long warranty comes as standard with this synthetic ice system.

Check Price on	Product
Amazon	Standard 8 panel starter kit
Amazon	Deluxe 20 panel starter kit
Skate Anytime	Standard 8 panel starter kit
Skate Anytime	Deluxe 20 panel starter kit

Best for Training: Hockey Revolution Professional Training Flooring Tile

Consisting of 36 pieces, this professional level 117″ x 53.15″ x 0.43″ training system is the perfect choice for stickhandling and passing practice.

Giving you 42.25 sq.ft of practice area, this training system can be used indoors or outdoors and comprises 30 white Tiles and 6 colored tiles (2 x red, 2 x yellow, 2 x green).

The reason for the 6 x colored tiles is for interactive practice sessions courtesy of the Hockey Revolution App.

The app enables you to create workout routines to suit your own style and skill level.

Also included in the package are 2 x my passer one timer to really get you up to speed with your passing and stickhandling techniques.

This training system is designed to help you improve your game by:

• Improving your game reaction speed.
• Getting you to think quicker.
• Training improvement for stickhandling.
• Development of basic body movement and positioning.
• Train your peripheral vision.

What We Like:

• Targeted Training – Passing and stickhandling practice, fine tune your skill level to up your game.
• Interactive App – Set training workouts to suit your current skill and ability level.
• Easy To Set Up – Great for training sessions indoors or outdoors, easy to set up and dismantle.

Check the latest price on Amazon.

Alternative Best for Training: SuperDeker Advanced Hockey Training System

Alternative Best for Training

This hockey training system is suitable for all age groups, giving you valuable practice time whenever and wherever you want it.

This training kit includes 2 x rebounder bands, 1 x epuck and a bottle of zero friction spray to keep the training board surface running smoothly. The spray should be applied every 2 weeks, which gives you around 6 months of use from the included bottle.

Quick feet, quick hands, and peripheral vision all come into play when you start training, the supplied epuck is the key to registering the points on the inbuilt scoreboard.

As the lights come on in different areas of the playing surface, your task is to run the epuck over the light to register the point, which is acknowledged by a beep and a point on the scoreboard when you are successful.

Sensors in the playing surface sense the location of the epuck and set the lights off at different locations around the playing surface.

This means that you need to react quickly to run the epuck over the illuminated target light, its a regulation weight puck too, that plays and feels just like a real hockey puck does.

The included rebounder bands provide fast, crisp pass back action to help really speed up your gameplay and get your mind thinking fast.

What We Like:

• Practice At Your Own Pace – Improve your skill and speed at your own pace, train when you want to and where you want to.
• Great Co-ordination Training – Gets your mind, feet, and hands moving fast to keep up with the lights as they appear on the training surface.
• Rebounder Bands – The rebounder bands provide you with fast pass back practice action.

Check the latest price on Amazon.

Essential Accessories

Other Worthy Mentions

These synthetic ice systems didn’t make it into our top picks sections, but we thought that they were still worth a mention.