With increasing attention being paid in the world of hockey following some tragic incidents on the ice, G8RTech – a specialized protective equipment company – has launched of its initial product for hockey players, G8RSkin Ice. Invented by G8RTech founder and CEO Carter Hogg (a 20-year-old college athlete), G8RSkin Ice is engineered to significantly decrease the risk of injury to hockey players, especially with regard to concussions and lacerations.

Made from Kevlar along with other proprietary materials and patent-pending design elements, G8RSkin Ice consists of a lightweight, cut-resistant collar and a balaclava-like shell. As a modular platform, G8RSkin Ice works seamlessly with all other hockey equipment and its design encompasses 17 engineering elements, designed to disperse energy from impacts and stabilize the neck.

Among the first steps for G8RSkin Ice will be partnerships with youth, high school and college athletes.

According to a recent Springer study of high school boys’ collision sports, ice hockey had the highest rate of concussion (15.8/100 participants/year), followed by lacrosse, rugby, and football. The most common site of injury in all collision sports was the head/face. Fractures were reported as the most common injury type in ice hockey (27 percent).

“The purpose of G8RSkin Ice is to once and for all protect hockey players from lacerations to the neck and to prevent those unfortunate tragedies such as the incident involving Adam Johnson,” explains G8RTech’s founder, president and CEO Carter Hogg. “It has become increasingly apparent how important it is to bolster the protective equipment for all players. Rather than something strapped around the neck, we knew it had to be more comfortable and agile while adding the extra benefits for which G8RSkin is already known. We’d like to see it adopted – if not required – by hockey leagues around the nation.”

G8RTech’s first product, G8RSkin, is a specialized balaclava-like shell that is worn under sports helmets. Having completed rigorous testing at the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, G8RSkin reportedly caused a relative concussion risk reduction up to 83.33 percent; peak linear acceleration values to drop by up to 35.61 percent for hockey; and peak rotational acceleration values to drop by up to 42.26 percent for hockey. G8RSkin is now being utilized across multiple sports, including but not limited to football, hockey, skiing and lacrosse.