Max Sasson

Max Sasson
Born	(2000-09-05) September 5, 2000 (age 24) Birmingham, Michigan, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Vancouver Canucks
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2023–present

Max Sasson (born September 5, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played two seasons of college ice hockey for the Western Michigan Broncos.

Early life

Sasson was born September 5, 2000, in Birmingham, Michigan,^[1] to Alan and Ellen Sasson.^[2] Sasson spent his junior ice hockey career with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League (USHL). During two seasons there, he recorded 19 goals and 23 assists in 107 regular season games. When the August 2020 Midwest derecho caused severe damage to ImOn Ice Arena in Cedar Rapids, Sasson was dispersed to the Waterloo Black Hawks for the 2020–21 USHL season. There, he led the team with 20 goals and 49 points in 49 games.^[3]

Career

College

After leaving the USHL, Sasson joined the Western Michigan Broncos for his college ice hockey career.^[4] He was named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) rookie of the month for January 2022 after recording two goals and five points in a four-game span.^[5] After a slow start to his freshman year, recording only three points through his first 18 games, Sasson began producing in the second half, finishing the 2021–22 season with nine goals and 22 points in 37 games.^[6] He was also named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team, maintaining a grade point average of at least 3.50 that year.^[7]

During the 2022–23 season, Sasson was the Broncos' top-line center, playing on a line with Ryan McAllister and Jason Polin.^[8] That season, he was third on the team with 42 points, including 15 goals, and led the Broncos to their best NCHC finish in program history.^[9] He was the NCHC Player of the Month for March 2023, with ten points in five games, including a hat trick against the Miami RedHawks.^[10] In two seasons with Western Michigan, Sasson had 24 goals and 64 points in 75 games.^[9]

Professional

On March 26, 2023, Sasson signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks.^[11] He joined the Abbotsford Canucks, Vancouver's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for the remainder of the 2022–23 season, playing on a line with Kyle Rau and Nils Höglander.^[12] In a combined seven regular-season and six postseason games for Abbotsford, Sasson had three goals and one assist.^[4] In preparation for his full rookie season, Sasson spent the 2023 offseason increasing his physicality.^[13] He had 18 goals and 42 points in 59 games during the 2023–24 season,^[14] with his performance the strongest after returning from injury in April.^[15][16] He added another goal and two assists in six games of the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs.^[17]

Sasson began the 2024–25 season in Abbotsford, leading the team with nine points through the first 16 games of the year.^[18] With Brock Boeser and J. T. Miller unavailable, Sasson was called up to Vancouver to make his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators on November 23, 2024. He recorded his first NHL point in the 4–3 victory, assisting on Teddy Blueger's second-period goal.^[19] After recording two assists in five games for Vancouver, Sasson was returned to Abbotsford on December 5. ^[20] Sasson scored his first career NHL goal against the Boston Bruins on December 14th, 2024, in a game that the Vancouver Canucks lost 5-1. ^[21]

Personal life

Sasson is Jewish.^[2]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2021–22	Western Michigan Broncos	NCHC		37	9	13	22	18		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Western Michigan Broncos	NCHC		38	15	27	42	18		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Abbotsford Canucks	AHL		7	1	1	2	4		6	1	0	1	0
2023–24	Abbotsford Canucks	AHL		56	18	24	42	36		6	1	2	3	4
AHL totals				63	19	25	44	40		12	2	2	4	4

See also

• List of select Jewish ice hockey players

References

1. "Max Sasson Stats and News". National Hockey League. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
2. Stein, Steve (August 2, 2024). "To the Max". The Detroit Jewish News. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
3. "Sasson Achieves NHL Dream". Waterloo Black Hawks. November 23, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
4. Stein, Steve (August 25, 2023). "Max Sasson's Journey to the NHL". The Detroit Jewish News. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
5. "Max Sasson Named NCHC Co-Rookie of the Month". Western Michigan Broncos. February 1, 2022. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
6. "Sasson Named Rookie of the Year and Fulp Takes Academic Award". Western Michigan Broncos. June 10, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
7. "Six Freshmen Named to NCHC Academic All-Conference Team". Western Michigan Broncos. July 19, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
8. Rosenthal, Eddie (March 28, 2023). "WMU hockey's Max Sasson signs with Vancouver Canucks, forgoes last two seasons with Broncos". Western Herald. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
9. "Max Sasson Signs Entry-Level Contract with Vancouver Canucks". Western Michigan Broncos. March 26, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
10. "Max Sasson Named NCHC Player of the Month". Western Michigan Broncos. March 31, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
11. "Canucks Agree to Terms with Max Sasson on Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract". National Hockey League. Vancouver Canucks. March 26, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
12. Faber, Chris (February 7, 2024). "Max Sasson is Working at Growing and Maturing his Two-Way Game in the AHL as a Rookie". National Hockey League. Vancouver Canucks. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
13. Faber, Chris (July 24, 2024). "Building Blue: Max Sasson Acclimated Quickly in Rookie AHL Season and is Ready to Build in Year Two". National Hockey League. Vancouver Canucks. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
14. Horwat, Nick (November 24, 2024). "Canucks Forward Shares Unforgettable Moment With Father in NHL Debut". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
15. Kierszenblat, Adam (April 1, 2024). "Abbotsford Canucks Monthly: Linus Karlsson and Max Sasson Shine Bright In March". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
16. Kierszenblat, Adam (April 29, 2024). ""Right Now, I Feel The Best I Have All Year," How Max Sasson Went From Undrafted Free Agent To One Of The Vancouver Canucks Top Prospects". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
17. Cheung, Izzy (September 11, 2024). "10 Canucks Prospects To Watch At The 2024 Young Stars Classic". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
18. Kierszenblat, Adam (November 21, 2024). "Vancouver Canucks Call Up Max Sasson, Jonathan Lekkerimäki Assigned To Abbotsford". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
19. Kuzma, Ben (November 24, 2024). "Taking it to the Max: Sasson's belief finally leads to his NHL debut". The Province. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
20. Sheridan, Mathieu (December 5, 2024). "Vancouver Canucks Send Max Sasson To Abbotsford". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
21. Woodley, Kevin (December 14, 2024). "Pastrnak has 4 points in Bruins win against Canucks". NHL.com. Retrieved January 2, 2025.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Western Michigan Broncos biography