Max
Sasson
C · VAN · Balanced · Very poor
- PAL
- 15
- WAR
- 1.0
- Value
- 29
- PTS
- 19
2025-26№ 167 / 615
Max Sasson (Vancouver Canucks) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Max Sasson
#63CPlays: Centre · 57% of faceoffs
Vancouver Canucks
HEIGHT : 185 cm · WEIGHT : 82 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : September 4, 2000 · Birmingham, United States
Contract : $1,000,000 · 2026-27 → 2027-28 · Standard Contract (Extension) · UFA
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Vancouver Canucks | 19 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 17 |
| 2025-26 | Vancouver Canucks | 66 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 26 |
| 2024-25 | Vancouver Canucks | 29 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| NHL totals | 114 | 21 | 12 | 33 | 43 | |
Max Sasson: our analysis
2025-26 season: 66 GP, 13 G, 6 A, 19 PTS, -13 +/-, 11:43 TOI. WAR 1.0 (167th of 615) · PAL 15, very poor.
In 2025-26, Max Sasson, 26, posts a PAL Rating of 15 out of 100 (very poor), and his WAR of 1.0 ranks 167th among 615 regulars, in the top half.
On the other hand, discipline (7, among the weakest in the league) and creation (7, among the weakest in the league) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: finishing (+5.0); his biggest cost: penalties (-1.0).
A marked decline: his PAL was 50 in 2024-25, against 15 now; his WAR, though, went from 0.3 to 1.0.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 29 (poor return) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Max Sasson's story
Birmingham, Michigan was the starting point, but Sasson’s junior breakthrough came in the USHL, where he split time between the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and the Waterloo Black Hawks after damage to Cedar Rapids’ arena in 2020. His two seasons in Cedar Rapids produced steady minutes across 107 games, and the move to Waterloo yielded a 49-point campaign in 49 contests, the team lead in goals that year.
He took the next step with the Western Michigan Broncos in college hockey. After a slow freshman stretch, he found form late in 2021–22 to finish with nine goals and 22 points in 37 games, and earned NCHC Academic All-Conference recognition. In 2022–23 he anchored the top line as the Broncos’ center alongside Ryan McAllister and Jason Polin, notching 15 goals and 42 points and helping the team to its best NCHC finish; he was named NCHC Player of the Month in March after a hot five-game run that included a hat trick.
Vancouver signed him to a two-year entry-level deal on 26 March 2023, and Sasson immediately joined the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL. He spent time adjusting to the pro game on a line with Kyle Rau and Nils Höglander, then focused on adding physicality in the 2023 offseason. The 2023–24 AHL season saw him post 18 goals and 42 points in 59 games, and he contributed in the Calder Cup playoffs before moving between Abbotsford and Vancouver the following season—making his NHL debut on 23 November 2024, earning his first NHL point that night, and scoring his first NHL goal on 14 December 2024.
On the international stage he debuted at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland for Team USA, playing on the third line and recording a goal and an assist during seven preliminary-round games. Taken together, his background shows a center who grew through junior and collegiate systems into a professional scorer and playmaker, one who brings positional play in the middle of the ice and a nose for offence cultivated at each level of competition.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 12:44
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:04
- SH TOI/GP
- 1:25
- Pts/GP
- 0.37
- EV points
- 7
- Hits
- 11
- Blocks
- 13
- Takeaways
- 5
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 48.2 %
- Off. zone starts
- 17.8 %
- Faceoffs
- 43.3 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
21between 9 and 33 (80% range)
- Goals
- 13
- Assists
- 8
- Games
- 66
So far: 7 pts in 19 games. The team has played 19 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.30 pts per game (last season: 0.29).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
Trend
Slight decline
- Points per game: 0.24 in 24-25, 0.29 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 50 → 15
Outlook, age included
↘ Slight declineAge 26: prime years
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 51 %
67
Depth
- SK
- Skating
- 89
- Confidence 57 %
- ST
- Strength
- 69
- Confidence 56 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 61
- Confidence 67 %
- DU
- Durability
- 65
- Confidence 57 %
- CK
- Checking
- 71
- Confidence 56 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 75
- Confidence 37 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 60
- Confidence 56 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- 63
- Confidence 49 %
- PA
- Passing
- 63
- Confidence 51 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 76
- Confidence 51 %
- DF
- Defense
- 75
- Confidence 46 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 46
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating89
- Top speed (35 %)37.2 · 90
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)10.7 · 89
- Distance /60 (20 %)16.7 · 84
- Speed consistency (15 %)36.6 · 90
ST — Strength69
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.46 · 78
- Body mass (50 %)-1.076 · 62
EN — Endurance61
- Ice time per game (45 %)12.6 · 60
- Total ice time (20 %)761 · 66
- Shift length (15 %)42.3 · 64
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)11.4 · 60
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.182 · 55
DU — Durability65
- Share of games played (100 %)0.733 · 65
CK — Checking71
- Hits /60 (70 %)3.313 · 72
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)3.218 · 76
- Season volume (10 %)3.434 · 63
FG — Fighting75
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.82 · 75
DI — Discipline60
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.022 · 61
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.777 · 66
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.644 · 69
FO — Faceoffs63
- Faceoff % (85 %)46.8 · 63
- Faceoffs /60 (15 %)28.5 · 67
PA — Passing63
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.539 · 67
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.29 · 51
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.019 · 66
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.342 · 73
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.409 · 71
SC — Scoring76
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.933 · 80
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.666 · 65
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.633 · 86
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)1.047 · 64
- xG per shot (10 %)0.082 · 72
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)10.6 · 64
DF — Defense75
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.015 · 75
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.13 · 80
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.669 · 70
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.028 · 71
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.737 · 67
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)56.4 · 82
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)2.95 · 80
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience46
- Career regular-season games (65 %)64
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)37
OV — Overall67
- SC · Scoring (20 %)76
- PA · Passing (20 %)63
- DF · Defense (20 %)75
- SK · Skating (12 %)89
- FO · Faceoffs (10 %)63
- EN · Endurance (8 %)61
- DI · Discipline (5 %)60
- ST · Strength (3 %)69
- CK · Checking (2 %)71
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 67 | 89 | 76 | 75 |
| 2024-25 | 79 | 84 | 74 | 78 |
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
1.0
wins above replacement
167 of 615
PAL Rating
15/ 100
Performance · Very poor
398 of 476 at the position
Value Rating
29/ 100
Poor return
0.78 M$ · expected PAL 32
ProfileBalancedNeither end dominates
- Offense
- 22
- Defense
- 40
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 37
- Creation
- 7
- Shooting
- 55
- Possession
- 19
- Defense
- 54
- Discipline
- 7
- Power play
- 17
- Penalty kill
- 12
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | VAN | 1.0 | 15 | 29 | 0.78 M$ |
| 2024-25 | VAN | 0.3 | 50 | 68 | 0.87 M$ |
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
5/ 100
Low
better than 5% of forwards, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
7/ 100
Low
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
17/ 100
Low
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 401 of 424 forwards.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 11
- Shot selection
- 36
- Penalties drawn
- 21
- Puck management
- 23
Defense
- Takeaways
- 51
- Discipline
- 27
- Safe zone exits
- 10
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
| Season | Team | IQ | Off. | Def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | VAN | 5 | 7 | 17 |
| 2024-25 | VAN | 87 | 40 | 97 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
1.0
wins above replacement
0.1 to 1.9 — 90% interval
167 of 615 forwards
+5.2 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -0.9
- EV defense
- +0.2
- Power play
- -0.1
- Penalty kill
- -0.0
- Shooting
- +5.0
- Penalties
- -1.0
- Average → replacement
- +2.0
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | VAN | 66 | 1.0 | 0.1 to 1.9 | 167/615 |
| 2024-25 | VAN | 27 | 0.3 | -0.1 to 0.8 | 272/596 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 123.7 km/h19th percentileleague avg. 130.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 37.2 km/h95th percentileleague avg. 35.2 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 7198th percentileleague avg. 21
- Offensive zone time
- 37.4 %8th percentileleague avg. 43.1 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 65.7 km63rd percentileleague avg. 52.2 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 4.69 km56th percentileleague avg. 4.52 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 39.2 %19th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
- Neutral zone time
- 17.9 %44th percentileleague avg. 16.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 44.7 %8th percentileleague avg. 40.1 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 1947th percentile | 581st percentile | 26.3 %97th percentile |
| High danger | 1174th percentile | 491st percentile | 36.4 %88th percentile |
| Mid range | 550th percentile | 177th percentile | 20.0 %76th percentile |
| Long range | 272nd percentile | 092nd percentile | 0.0 %87th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
EDM
WPG
ANA
TOR
SJS
MIN
DET
CAR
TBL
FLA
NYI
NYR
NJD
VGK
CGYMax Sasson: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Max Sasson have in 2026-27?
Max Sasson has 5 goals and 7 points (2 assists) in 19 games in 2026-27.
How old is Max Sasson?
Max Sasson is 26 years old: he was born on September 5, 2000.
How tall is Max Sasson, and how much does he weigh?
Max Sasson is 6'1" (185 cm) and weighs 181 lb (82 kg).
Where is Max Sasson from?
United States: Max Sasson was born in Birmingham, Michigan, United States.
What team does Max Sasson play for?
Max Sasson plays for the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL, at C, wearing number 63.
Is Max Sasson injured?
No: Max Sasson is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Max Sasson?
Max Sasson produced 1.0 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 167th of 615 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 15 out of 100: very poor for his position.
How much does Max Sasson make?
Max Sasson earns $775K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 29 out of 100 (poor return): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Max Sasson's contract end?
Max Sasson's contract runs through the 2027-28 season; he will then be an unrestricted free agent.
Is Max Sasson overpaid?
Yes, his output falls short of what his salary should buy. His Value rating is 29 out of 100 (poor return), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Max Sasson a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 167th of 615 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Max Sasson getting better?
No, he is slipping: his PAL rating went from 50 in 2024-25 to 15 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Max Sasson played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Max Sasson has 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist).
What are Max Sasson's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Max Sasson has 114 games, 21 goals, 12 assists and 33 points. His best season: 2025-26, with 19 points in 66 games.
Is Max Sasson better at home or on the road?
No real difference: in 2026-27, he averages 0.38 points per game at home (3 in 8 games) and 0.36 on the road (4 in 11 games).
How does Max Sasson perform in the playoffs?
Max Sasson has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
Which player is most similar to Max Sasson?
Alexander Kerfoot: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Alexander Kerfoot's page →Is Max Sasson a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 21 points in 2026-27, or 0.32 points per game.
What is Max Sasson's nationality?
Max Sasson is American. Internationally: United States — Made international debut at the 2026 IIHF World Championship (Switzerland); 1 goal and 1 assist in 7 preliminary round games.
What awards has Max Sasson won?
NCHC Rookie of the Month — January 2022 ; NCHC Academic All-Conference Team — 2021–22 season (maintained a GPA of at least 3.50) ; NCHC Player of the Month — March 2023.
How many championships has Max Sasson won?
1: Calder Cup 2025 — Abbotsford Canucks.
Where did Max Sasson play before turning pro?
Junior career with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) — two seasons; dispersed to the Waterloo Black Hawks for 2020–21 (USHL); college hockey with the Western Michigan Broncos — 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons.
How many points is Max Sasson projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 21 points in 66 games in 2026-27 (9 to 33 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Vancouver Canucks teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)