You found the jersey. The team, the player, the number. Now you want your name on the back, the letters sewn correctly, and the whole thing looking like it came straight off the ice. But if you have never sent a jersey in for customization before, you might be wondering what actually happens once it leaves your hands.
The jersey customization process is more involved than most people expect. It is not a matter of printing letters onto fabric and calling it done. For NHL-licensed customization in particular, the process involves licensed materials, precise alignment, layered construction, stitching, heat application, and quality checks before anything ships back to you.
This article walks through every stage of how hockey jersey customization works at CSG Sports, a Montreal-based NHL-licensed manufacturer that has been producing kits and full-service customizations since 1989. Whether you are sending in a jersey or ordering a kit to apply yourself, understanding the process will help you know what to expect and why the details matter.
When Your Jersey Arrives: Intake and Inspection
When your jersey arrives at CSG Sports, the first thing that happens is intake and inspection. This is not a formality. It is a necessary step that determines how the rest of the customization process will unfold.
The jersey is examined for its construction type, fabric, and condition. NHL jerseys come in different styles and cuts across different eras and manufacturers. Adidas Adizero, Fanatics Breakaway, Reebok Edge, older CCM builds. Each has slightly different fabric weight, seam placement, and surface characteristics that affect how the kit will be applied. Knowing what you are working with before any cutting or pressing begins is essential to a clean result.
The condition of the jersey matters too. Any pre-existing damage, loose stitching, or fabric irregularities are identified at this stage. If something is found that could affect the outcome, CSG contacts the customer before proceeding. This is part of what separates a professional NHL-licensed service from a generic operation. You will not find out about a problem after the fact.
The order details are confirmed against the jersey at intake as well. Name, number, player position designation (C or A if applicable), font style, and color specifications are all cross-referenced before any work begins.
Removing Old Customization: When Your Jersey Already Has a Kit
Many jerseys that come in for customization already carry a previous kit. A name from a player who was traded, a number from a season you want to update, or lettering that was applied incorrectly the first time. One of the most common questions people have when sending in their jersey is what happens to my jersey when I send it in if there is already something on it.
The answer is that the old kit is removed before the new one goes on. This requires careful work. Twill and tackle twill materials are typically stitched into the jersey fabric, meaning removal involves cutting thread without damaging the base fabric underneath. CSG has been doing this long enough to handle the process skillfully, but it is worth noting that some risk exists whenever stitching is removed from an older or more delicate jersey.
If the inspection at intake reveals that removal could cause damage given the fabric condition, that is a conversation that happens with the customer before anything is touched. The goal is always to deliver a jersey in better condition than it arrived, not to create new problems while solving old ones.
Once the old kit is removed, the surface is assessed again. If any marks or residue remain from the previous application, that factors into the preparation before the new kit goes on.
How NHL Licensed Twill Is Prepared: The Material Itself
Understanding what twill jersey customization actually is helps explain why the finished product looks and feels the way it does. Twill is a woven textile with a distinctive diagonal rib pattern. In the context of NHL jersey customization, it refers to the layered fabric material used to construct numbers and lettering that meets league specifications.
This is not iron-on vinyl or screen printing. NHL-licensed twill is a structured material cut and built to replicate what you see on authentic pro jerseys. Numbers are typically constructed from multiple layers of twill fabric, each representing a different color in the design. A number with a colored border requires a separate layer for that border, precisely cut and aligned underneath the main layer.
At CSG Sports, kits are produced using officially licensed materials that meet NHL standards. This is what the NHL licensing designation means in practice: the materials, construction methods, and color accuracy all conform to league-approved specifications. You are not getting a generic approximation of what the jersey should look like. You are getting the actual licensed product.
How hockey jersey numbers are made begins with cutting each layer of twill to the exact dimensions required by the team’s official template. Layers are then fused together, either left unsewn for customers who will finish the application themselves, or pre-sewn for customers who want the kit ready for direct heat application. CSG offers both formats depending on what the customer needs.
Laying Out the Kit: Alignment Before Application
Alignment is where the difference between a professional result and an amateur one becomes immediately visible. Before any heat or thread touches the jersey, the kit is laid out and positioned precisely.
This involves centering the name and number both vertically and horizontally on the jersey panels, accounting for seams, the curve of the back panel, and the specific dimensions of the jersey being worked on. Numbers on hockey jerseys appear on both the front and back, and each placement has its own requirements. Name lettering on the back sits above the number within a specific spacing range.
The jersey is typically placed on a flat surface or press platform and the kit elements are positioned using measurements, not guesswork. Experienced technicians develop an eye for this over time, but measurement remains the foundation. A kit that is a centimeter off-center is noticeable to anyone who looks closely, and at the quality level CSG operates, that is not acceptable.
For kits with a captain designation (C or A), the placement on the chest also follows specific positioning conventions that vary slightly by team. These details are part of what the NHL licensing framework covers, and following them correctly is part of the job.
Applying the Kit: Sewn, Heat-Pressed, or Both
This is the stage people most often ask about when they want the jersey customization process explained. The answer is: both, and in a specific order.
At CSG Sports, the application process begins with heat pressing. A heat press applies controlled temperature and pressure to bond the twill kit to the jersey fabric using a heat-activated adhesive on the back of the kit. This fuses the kit to the surface and holds everything in position for the next step.
After heat pressing, the kit is stitched to the jersey. Stitching runs through all layers of the twill construction and into the jersey fabric, locking the kit permanently in place. The combination of heat press for initial bonding and stitching for permanent attachment is what gives a professionally customized jersey its durability and its clean, finished appearance.
This is the answer to a question CSG hears regularly: is it stitched on or ironed on? It is both. The heat press creates stability; the stitch creates permanence. Neither alone produces a result that holds up to regular wear and washing the way a properly finished jersey should.
For customers who order an NHL jersey kit to apply themselves, CSG offers two formats. An unsewn kit is delivered with all layers fused together but no stitching done, leaving the customer or a local shop to complete the application. A sewn kit arrives with layers already stitched and a heat-activated adhesive on the back, ready for pressing directly onto the jersey. Understanding the difference between the sewn and heat pressed formats is important when ordering, as each requires a different finishing process on the customer’s end.
Quality Control: What Gets Checked Before Your Jersey Ships
After application is complete, the jersey goes through quality control before it is packaged for return shipping. This step is not optional and it is not cursory. It is the checkpoint that ensures every jersey leaving the facility meets the standard CSG has built its reputation on since 1989.
Quality control involves checking alignment against the original specifications, confirming that all layers are fully adhered and that no edges are lifting, verifying that stitching is clean and complete around the entire perimeter of the kit, and reviewing the overall appearance of the finished jersey against what was ordered.
Color accuracy is checked as well. Because CSG uses officially licensed materials, the colors in the finished kit should match the team’s specifications precisely. If anything looks off under proper lighting, it gets addressed before the jersey moves to packaging.
This stage also catches any issues that may have developed during heat pressing, such as minor fabric distortion or inconsistency at seam edges. Most of the time nothing requires correction at this stage because the work upstream has been done correctly. But the check exists because skipping it is how errors make it to the customer, and that is not acceptable.
Packaging and Return Shipping: How Your Jersey Gets Back to You
Once the jersey passes quality control, it is folded and packaged for return. At CSG Sports, return shipping is handled through UPS Standard Service, and it is free. When the jersey ships, you receive a tracking number so you can follow its progress back to you.
For customers in the Montreal area, local drop-off and pick-up is also an option. CSG operates out of its facility at 8660 Darnley, Suite 102 in Mount Royal, and walk-in returns are available during business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
The typical production timeline from the time CSG receives your jersey is one to two weeks. This covers the intake, removal of any previous kit if applicable, kit preparation, alignment, application, quality control, and packaging. Customers sending jerseys from outside Canada receive a commercial invoice for customs purposes along with their shipping label, which is provided by email after the order is placed.
The packaging itself is designed to protect the finished jersey during transit. After the care and work that goes into customization, the last thing anyone wants is for the jersey to arrive damaged from poor packaging. It leaves in better condition than it arrived, and it should arrive back in the same condition it left.
What the Finished Jersey Actually Feels Like
There is a tactile quality to a properly customized hockey jersey that is hard to describe in the abstract and immediately recognizable when you hold one. The twill kit sits flush with the jersey fabric. There is texture and dimension to the lettering, a solidity to the numbers, and a clean edge around every element that does not peel or curl.
Running your hand over a finished twill kit feels different from touching screen-printed letters or heat-transfer vinyl. The layers have weight. The stitching creates a defined boundary around each element. It feels, because it is, constructed rather than printed.
This is what people are referring to when they describe a jersey that looks and feels authentic. The visual result matters, but so does the physical quality of the materials and the craftsmanship of the application. A jersey customized with NHL-licensed twill and finished with proper stitching will hold up through years of wear and washing in a way that cheaper alternatives simply do not.
The finished product is also consistent with what you would see on an official NHL jersey. Because CSG uses licensed materials and follows team-specific templates, the customization you receive matches the look of the real thing, not a close approximation of it.
Every Step Matters. That Is the Point.
The jersey customization process is not a single action. It is a sequence of steps, each of which affects the quality of the one that follows. Intake and inspection set the foundation. Kit preparation determines the material quality. Alignment determines the visual outcome. Application determines the durability. Quality control catches anything that falls short before it reaches you.
When people ask how NHL jerseys are customized or what happens to their jersey when they send it in, the full answer is longer than most expect. That is not a problem. It is a feature. The complexity of the process is what separates a finished jersey that looks right, feels right, and lasts from one that does not.
CSG Sports has been doing this work in Montreal since 1989, operating as a full-service NHL-licensed manufacturer that handles every stage of the process under one roof. If you have a jersey to customize, a kit to order, or a name to replace, the team is ready to walk you through your options.
