# Max Sasson

Max Sasson (born September 5, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to 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, to Alan and Ellen Sasson. 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.

## Career
### College

After leaving the USHL, Sasson joined the Western Michigan Broncos for his college ice hockey career. 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. 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. He was also named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team, maintaining a grade point average of at least 3.50 that year.
During the 2022–23 season, Sasson was the Broncos' top-line center, playing on a line with Ryan McAllister and Jason Polin. 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. 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. In two seasons with Western Michigan, Sasson had 24 goals and 64 points in 75 games.

### Professional

On March 26, 2023, Sasson signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks. 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. In a combined seven regular-season and six postseason games for Abbotsford, Sasson had three goals and one assist. In preparation for his full rookie season, Sasson spent the 2023 offseason increasing his physicality. He had 18 goals and 42 points in 59 games during the 2023–24 season, with his performance the strongest after returning from injury in April. He added another goal and two assists in six games of the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs.
Sasson began the 2024–25 season in Abbotsford, leading the team with nine points through the first 16 games of the year. 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. After recording two assists in five games for Vancouver, Sasson was returned to Abbotsford on December 5. 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.

## Personal life

Sasson is Jewish.

## Career statistics

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2017–18 | Brookings Blizzard | NAHL | 59 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 62 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 49 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| 2019–20 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 45 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 48 | 20 | 29 | 49 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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 | AHL totals | AHL totals | 63 | 19 | 25 | 44 | 40 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |