What size shoe are you?
Do you have a decent Local Hockey Shop (LHS) in the area? I would start there and look for a place that carries both Bauer and CCM, and preferably Graf or True as well. Mission was purchased by Bauer and no longer makes ice skates.
Graf will be the most similar to what you're used to. They're entire "thing" is getting the right fit and having ankle mobility. Unfortunately, they made some bad business decisions, lost the little market share they had, and rushed a modern skate to market with bad QC. Vaughn bought them out of bankruptcy and has brought the quality back, but the biggest issue is finding some place that actually stocks them to try them on.
CCM and Bauer both have a 3-fit profile system. You'll go to a store, they'll scan your feet, and tell you to get Fit 1 2 or 3. I don't know how well it works as I've not done it yet myself. Then you'll try on the different skates. For CCM, Tacks are the stiffest, and the higher up in the model line, the stiffer it goes. CCM bills them as the power/speed skates. Jetspeeds are billed as the acceleration skate, kind of in the middle. More ankle movement. Ribcore has the fewest models, but may be what you're looking for. It is the least stuff boot in their lineup and billed as the agility boot.
My knowledge of Bauer skates is quite dated, but they also have a 3-tier fit system, then the Vapor and Supreme lines.
My personal rule of thumb for CCM is that the cheapest/farthest down the line that I'll consider will still have a replaceable runner (blade) as well as a little cushion on the top of the skates where the sides of your ankle hit. But I have been on the ice about 200 hours since November.
Basically everything these days is bakeable, which is incredible. Basically cuts the break in time down to about 1 ice session. I wouldn't get a skate that you can't bake.
For basically all newer skates I've tried except Graf, I have had to drop the top eyelet. Otherwise I feel like Frankenstein's monster clunking around with no movement. It's like being in a cast. Pretty popular in the NHL as well.
I also recommend getting an 11' profile, and for CCM at least, plus 2mm. The 11' profile will be a lot more stable, give you more glide, be faster, though at the cost of a little bit of agility. Having it be plus 2mm means that the balance point is moved 2mm, and will have a little forward pitch. This forces you to bend your ankles and bend your knees to maintain your center of gravity, and allows a deeper knee bend and more ankle movement.
For True skates, the timeline is something like this (I may be getting parts mixed up):
- Speed skate skate maker starts making hockey skates called MLX. Basically nobody knew about them except some NHL players (including Dustin Byfuglien and Marian Hossa)
- Easton buys MLX and the skate becomes the Mako.
- Bauer buys Easton and basically throws it all away
- Scotty Van Horne, the designer, starts VH skates which become true skates. Initially fully custom only, they now have retail options.
- I know that they have a forward lean and good ankle mobility. I know nothing else.
Any other specific questions and I can probably find the answer or point you to someone who does.
