28 | AUGUST 1 • 2024
J
N
M
ax Sasson is one
step away from
joining the ever-
growing list of Jewish hockey
players in the NHL.
The step is a big one, but
the 23-year-old Birmingham
native is ready for the climb.
After joining the
Abbotsford (British
Columbia) Canucks as an
undrafted free agent for 13
regular-season and playoff
games late in the 2022-23
season, Sasson spent the
entire 2023-24 season with
Abbotsford, the Vancouver
Canucks’ affiliate in the
American Hockey League,
the top minor league for NHL
teams.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound
center had 18 goals and
24 assists last season and
impressed Abbotsford coach
Jeremy Colliton and the
reporters who cover the
Canucks’ organization with
his speed, hockey instincts,
work ethic, attention to detail
and responsibility on the
defensive end.
“Max is pretty explosive,”
Colliton said. “He’s able to
get separation, win races and
create transition chances.
He takes advantage of the
situations his skating puts
him in with good hockey
sense.”
In a recent listing on The
Hockey Writers website of the
Vancouver organization’s top
15 prospects, Sasson came in
at No. 8.
“He definitely has the tools
to be a third- or fourth-line
center in the NHL,” wrote
The Hockey Writers’ Matthew
Zator. “If he hits his ceiling,
he will be another undrafted
success story in the Canucks’
history.”
Vancouver’s training camp
for the 2024-25 season will be
held Sept. 19-22 in Penticton,
British Columbia. The
dates are circled on Sasson’s
calendar.
“The team has made it
clear, even to the media, that
there will be a competition
in training camp for the last
couple spots on the roster,”
Sasson said. “I want to get to
the NHL as soon as possible,
of course. But I don’t have a
timeline for that. I just want
to play my best hockey every
day.
“I was happy with how I
played last season. I wish I
would have gotten called up
to the NHL, but I understand
that’s a process that takes
time. Plus, Vancouver had
a good season last year and
didn’t have many injuries.”
Vancouver had a good
season indeed last year. It
won the Pacific Division
championship and made it to
the second round of the NHL
playoffs. Sasson was called up
to the team’s taxi squad for
the playoffs.
“I stayed ready in case they
needed me,” he said.
So how is Sasson spending
this very important summer
at home before a very
important hockey season?
“I first took some time
off to rest and heal. Now
I’m working out (at Phyx
Performance locations in
Troy and Sylvan Lake) and
skating just about every day,”
he said. “I’m also playing
some golf and seeing family
and friends I don’t get to see
during the season.”
The city of Abbotsford,
which has a population
exceeding 150,000, is only
about a 40-minute drive from
Vancouver. Sasson said he’s
enjoyed his time there.
The proximity of
Abbotsford to Vancouver
has given Sasson a heaping
dose of how important the
Vancouver Canucks are to the
area’s residents.
“They love their hockey
there and they love the
Canucks. For many people,
it’s their life,” he said. “Every
sports fan there knows each
player on the Canucks’ roster
and each Abbotsford player,
too.
“If you read social media,
you’ll know why the Canucks’
fan base is considered one of
the craziest in the NHL.”
The Canucks beat the
Nashville Predators in a
seven-game series in the
first round of the playoffs
last season before being
eliminated in the second
round by the eventual
Western Conference
After his first full season as a
professional hockey player, Max
Sasson is eyeing a spot on the
Vancouver Canucks’ roster.
To the Max
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SPORTS
DARRIN FRANCIS
Max Sasson would love
to trade his Abbotsford
Canucks jersey for a
Vancouver Canucks jersey
come next season.