The 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 28-29 at Sphere in Las Vegas. The first round will be June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and Rounds 2-7 are June 29 (11:30 a.m. ET; ESPN+, NHLN, SN, SN1). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a profile on right wing Maxim Masse of Chicoutimi in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. NHL.com’s full draft coverage can be found here.
Maxim Masse of Chicoutimi of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League seems to have a knack for coming up big in the clutch.
The most memorable of his 13 game-winning goals in his two QMJHL seasons came in 2022-23 against Rimouski, the team he once rooted for as a youngster.
“I grew up in Rimouski and my grandfather had season tickets, so he always bought me a ticket and I was there with him,” Masse said. “I was really young, so we had to leave early, but I had a lot of fun in those days watching the Oceanic.”
On Jan. 29, 2023, Masse took a lead pass and skated in on a breakaway before depositing a shot through the legs of Rimouski goalie Gabriel Robert with 3:52 remaining to power Chicoutimi to a 3-2 victory.
“I think we all play hockey to feel good in every moment and obviously to win some games,” the 18-year-old forward said, “and I like to be on the ice when it’s a tie game or we’re losing by a goal. I want to make a difference. Everybody wants that, but I’ll say I’m pretty good in those moments.”
He was selected No. 3 by Chicoutimi in the 2022 QMJHL draft. His father, Luc Masse, was a former defenseman who played one season in the QMJHL with Saint-Jean in 1989-90.
“It’s a dream to be playing in the ‘Q,’ for sure,” Masse said. “My dad told me it wasn’t the same mindset and same game in the ‘Q’ as it is now … it was more physical and there was fighting. But dad has helped me with the mental part of the game instead of the skills part. He’s always been there for me since I started playing hockey when I was 4 years old.”
