Saturday night was a disaster for the Vancouver Canucks as the team played what was probably their worst game of the season in a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Boston Bruins. But out of that loss came one positive and that was Canucks rookie Max Sasson scoring his first career NHL goal in the third period. Sasson took a pass from J.T. Miller and squeaked a shot through Jeremy Swayman’s legs scoring his first goal and the Canucks only goal of the game. This goal is an accumulation of all of the hard work that Sasson has put in over his career to get to this point, and the road was not easy.
The Road Less Travelled
Born on Sept. 5, 2000, Sasson was eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas. In his draft year, he spent most of his season with the Brookings Blizzard of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and scored only 25 points in 59 games. His lack of scoring at that level hurt his ability to be selected and he went undrafted in 2018. The next season, Sasson joined the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and played there for two seasons hoping to earn an NCAA offer which could help him get to pro hockey. In his two seasons with Cedar Rapids, Sasson totalled 42 points in over 100 games and his pro hockey dreams were looking bleak, but a big season was on the rise for him.
Sasson left Cedar Rapids and went to play for the Waterloo Black Hawks for the 2020-21 USHL season. He was able to have a miraculous season where he led the team in scoring with 49 points in 48 games and started to round out his game and develop. After his season in Waterloo, Sasson committed to Western Michigan University to play for their hockey team and further his development and education.
When at Western Michigan, Sasson played two seasons for the Broncos and got to play with Canucks prospect Ty Glover in his first season. In his first season at Western Michigan, Sasson took some time to adapt to the new league and new team only scoring 22 points in 37 games. In his sophomore season, he turned scouts’ heads. Sasson scored 42 points in 38 games and recorded the third-highest point total on the team.
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That season, he gained interest from different NHL teams and the Canucks came calling. Vancouver signed him when his season officially ended in March 2023 and shortly after his season finished, he signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Canucks that began in October 2023. Due to the contract starting in October, Sasson also signed an amateur tryout contract (ATO) with Abbotsford to allow him to play in the American Hockey League (AHL). In his seven-game stint with Abbotsford in 2023, Sasson scored his first pro hockey goal and added an assist.
Last season, he played the entire year with Abbotsford and scored 42 points in 56 games and added three points in six playoff games. This season he began the year in the AHL and scored nine points in 16 games, his play earned him a call-up with Vancouver and has since played 10 games scoring one goal and four assists. Sasson has turned into an important part of the Canucks bottom-six and has learned a lot playing with players like Teddy Blueger and Danton Heinen.
Sasson’s story is a tale of determination and hard work. He went from undrafted, put his head down, and went to work. He is determined to stay in the NHL and be a key player for the Canucks this season as they try to climb up the Western Conference standings.
