Max Sasson shares emotional reaction to Vancouver Canucks call-up

Max Sasson shares emotional reaction to Vancouver Canucks call-up

Max Sasson, a 24-year-old undrafted forward, was called up to the NHL by the Canucks for the first time on Thursday.

By Jonathan Bailey |1 hour ago

Vancouver Canucks Training Camp

Vancouver Canucks Training Camp / Derek Cain/GettyImages

After spending the 2023-24 season in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks, Max Sasson has earned the opportunity of a lifetime as the Vancouver Canucks called him up to the NHL on Thursday for the first time in his young career.

And before signing his two-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks on March 26, 2024, Sasson was a top forward for Western Michigan University in the NCAA. It’s safe to say that the 24-year-old forward has come a long way to make it to the NHL and join the Canucks.

“I was just in Henderson with the AHL team and got a text from R.J. (Ryan Johnson), our GM there. He said, ‘Give me a call when you can’,” Sasson recalled. “I figured it was good news. He told me it was his favorite call to make and that I was going to be playing in my first game on Saturday and I was going to be called up. Just a ton of emotions. I’m sure it’ll sink in even more, but, just thinking about all the days at the rink and growing up and how much it means to my family, friends, and everyone who followed me throughout my career. Really special day.”

Max Sasson to make Canucks debut on Saturday vs. Ottawa

Sasson is in line to make his NHL debut and his Canucks debut on Saturday afternoon when Vancouver travels to face the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa at 4 p.m. The young Canucks rookie has also revealed that his first NHL game will be a special moment shared with his dad, Sasson’s biggest fan.

“I called my dad (first). He’s probably my biggest fan,” Sasson added. “He’s been there the whole way. He started screaming. He started crying. It was a pretty special phone call. It’s his first game, too, it feels like! He’s been there throughout the whole way, too, as well as my whole family. I got to call my mom after, my brother. It was awesome.”

Sasson is following up a productive first season in pro hockey, where he scored 18 goals, 24 assists, and 42 points in 56 games for Abbotsford in the AHL last year. He’s carried that over into this season, picking up four goals, five assists, and nine points in 16 games. With J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, the Canucks have given the young Sasson the opportunity of his life on Saturday.