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.

