Welcome back to another edition of our CanucksArmy top 20 Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings.

With five ranked prospects in the rearview, we have finally hit our first true centreman. While many youngsters within the system offer centre services, Max Sasson is one of the few who could and will likely continue in that role through his transition to the NHL level.

If you’ve followed us here at CanucksArmy throughout the year, you know where we stand on Max Sasson’s game. And if you haven’t been, welcome to the Max Sasson fan club.

Do you want speed in your lineup? How about tenacity, decent hands, and the ability to create offence as a dual threat? Or, how about a relentless work ethic and the ability to drive his line as a purebred centreman?

Look no further than Sasson, who delivers all of these qualities consistently. At least he does at the AHL level.

One of the main reasons we are so drawn to his game is that he’s doing most of his damage at 5v5 play.

The Michigan native finished fifth on the team in points — 10th among AHL rookies — with 18 goals and 42 points in his first year as a pro. While these aren’t incredible numbers for an overaged rookie, he did finish third on the team in 5v5 points — with 30 of his 42 coming at 5v5 — and finished second in 5v5 points-per-game, scoring at a 0.54 scoring clip.

To top it all off, he posted a plus-16 differential to lead the team in 5v5 goal differential throughout the season.

Did we mention that he carried the fifth-longest point streak in all the AHL? That’s right. Sasson enjoyed a spectacular stretch to wrap up the year, contributing 13 of his 43 points in a nine-game span.

On a nightly basis, it truly felt as if Sasson was the oil that made the Abby Canucks’ engine function. Although he wasn’t tasked every game, he even enjoyed bouts of penalty-killing duties to complete the triple threat.

Back in February, Sasson made an interesting comment in a Canucks.com interview where he touched on how important his off-season training is:

“I’ve always thought summer training was extremely crucial, but especially now, coming into the first year pro. I saw last year how physical and hard it was, especially in playoffs. Last season helped me know that I’m not playing against 18 and 19-year-olds anymore. There are grown men out here that are super strong with grown man strength.”

Those comments were made with just a few pro hockey matches under his belt. It will be interesting to see how and if his off-season regimen changes with a full year’s schedule and firsthand experience of what it takes to succeed on a nightly basis.

Adding weight to his frame would be one of the last elements needed to make that smooth transition to the NHL. Given his noted work ethic, we can only assume that his training will be ramped up as he prepares for his second NHL training camp.

As a September birthday, he will be 24 by the time training camp rolls around, meaning his runway as a prospect is certainly running out. Yet, he may be the club’s top pivot waiting in the queue.

He plays a Tocchet-style game, and we believe his skating is strong enough to stand out even at the top level. We do not doubt that he could slide in as a serviceable bottom-six centrepiece, whether that be right out of camp or down the line.

Ceiling: Nearly 24, his eventual upside gap is closing. But given the combination of skating, motor, offensive creativity, and two-way prowess, we could see him thriving in a bottom-six centre role in the not-so-distant future. He’s never been the highest scorer on any team, and we certainly don’t see him starting anytime soon, but he’ll be a reasonable and reliable presence further down the lineup.

Floor: AHL forward. We have no concerns about Sasson’s ability to carve out a successful career as a pro hockey player.

ETA: Assuming he doesn’t walk onto the team this fall, we expect him to be one of the first call-ups throughout the year should Vancouver require reinforcements. Since he is considered a pure centre, we anticipate him to see NHL games throughout the 2024-25 season.