Maxim Massé named Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year

TORONTO — Maxim Massé was announced as the Canadian Hockey League’s David Branch Player of the Year at Monday’s awards.

The 20-year-old winger for the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Chicoutimi Saguenéens topped the circuit with 102 points (51 goals, 51 assists) in 63 games, helping his team win its first title in more than three decades.

Massé, a third-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2024 NHL draft, is just the sixth player in CHL history to grab both rookie and player of the year honours in their careers, joining Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, Alex DeBrincat, Alexis Lafrenière and Gavin McKenna.

Medicine Hat Tigers teammates Markus Ruck and Bryce Pickford were also among the winners. Ruck got the CHL Top Scorer nod after the centre finished with 108 points in 68 Western Hockey League games, while Pickford — a third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens at the 2025 NHL draft — earned CHL Defenceman of the Year honours with 45 goals in 55 games.