March 26, 2023

Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Max Sasson on a two-year, entry-level contract. He will report to the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) on an amateur tryout agreement.

“We are very pleased to have agreed to terms with Max today and we are excited to have him join Abbotsford in time for their playoff push,” said Allvin.

“He is coming off a very strong year with Western Michigan and has shown continual improvement in his game each of the last few seasons. We look forward to watching him develop at the professional level with our staff in Vancouver and Abbotsford.”

Sasson, 22, recently concluded his sophomore college season with the Western Michigan University Broncos, recording 42 points (15-27-42) and 18 penalty minutes in 38 games.

In addition to ranking second on the team in assists (27) and third in points (42), the second-year Bronco tied for first in game-winning goals (4), had a share of third-most power play goals (5) and ranked fifth in plus-minus (+20).

He registered three or more points in a game on seven occasions this season, including back-to-back instances during a two-game sweep over Miami University earlier this month where he earned seven points and his first career NCAA hat-trick.  

The 6’1″, 185-pound centreman established career-highs across the board this season after producing 22 points (9-13-22), 18 penalty minutes, and a +4 rating in 2021.22.

Analysis Of Sasson Signing

Sasson is a speedy two-way forward that plays an honest, detailed game. He also saw a massive uptick in production this year, going from 22 points as a freshman to 42 points as a sophomore while centering Western Michigan’s top line, which was one of the nation’s most productive, with Ryan McAllister and Jason Polin. All three players are expected to get NHL deals.

While Polin and McAllister were the more skilled players on the line, a lot of their success was driven by Sasson, who hunted pucks, made good plays in his own zone and brought speed through the neutral zone to open up space for both of his linemates.

Sasson is 6-foot-1 and sturdy, which made him hard to knock off the puck and good at getting it away from the opposition. That’s why I feel pretty strongly that he’s going to find a way to carve out a role in the NHL, albeit lower in the lineup. He does so many little things well, and even going back to his USHL days, he’s made his teams a lot better when he’s on the ice.

Source: Chris Peter’s, http://www.flohockey.tv

Prior To College

Prior to beginning his college career with Western Michigan, Sasson spent three full seasons in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Waterloo Black Hawks and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

After playing just one game for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks at the tail end of the 2017.18 season, Sasson progressed offensively each of the next three seasons at the junior level, capped off by a point-per-game campaign (20-29-49 in 48 GP) with Waterloo in 2020.21.

In 156 regular season USHL games, the Birmingham, Michigan native registered 91 points (39-52-91) and added five points (2-3-5) in six playoff games with Cedar Rapids in 2018.19.

Sources: nhl.com, http://www.flohockey.tv