GET TO KNOW THE TEAM: MAX WILLMAN
By: Jason Shaya
Oct 1, 2024Ahead of Opening Night on October 11th, let's meet the team!
If it wasn’t for a late season-ending injury, the Comets with Max Willman should have clinched a post-season berth. There aren’t many defenders who can handle Willman’s strength and tenacity when he drops his shoulder and drives the goal. Last season, he went up and down between the New Jersey Devils and the Comets. The 18 games he played in the NHL is a testament to the quality of hockey player he is on a nightly basis. His season-ending injury is going to happen when you play the game the way Max does. He is willing to put his body on the line, drive the net to try and score a goal. It’s not a brand of hockey for someone who’s afraid of contact. His extraordinary competitive nature, his shot and the determination to run over the opposition en route to the scoring, makes him a very valuable commodity. Nevertheless, his journey to the NHL was never a guarantee.
Willman started his career in the ECHL and worked himself into a player who consistently finds himself on an NHL roster. His 12 goals and 10 assists in 33 games for Utica were often timely and helped the team win games. There is no question, with Willman in the lineup, the Comets were a genuine favorite to win games.
The 29-year-old from Barnstable, Massachusetts was originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round back in 2014. After spending five seasons with Brown University, he found himself playing double-A level hockey with Reading in the ECHL. Most will understand that the journey from the ECHL to the NHL isn’t impossible, players have done it before. But it takes extraordinary work and effort to make it happen. You must earn a spot on an AHL club while earning an NHL contract and then a call-up to the NHL team. Entering his sixth-year pro, Willman will once again fight for an NHL job throughout the course of the season. In doing so, the Comets will be lifted by his offensive output.
A healthy Willman heading into the 2024-2025 season instantly makes the Comets a threat in the North Division. The competition between the teams in the North is the toughest in the entire league. So, when you have a weapon like him on your roster, you bolster your chances of not only making the playoffs but making a serious run at the Calder Cup. The journey there won’t be without bumps and bruises. With Willman in the lineup, he will certainly help pave the difficult road ahead.