The 19-year-old Ducks prospect discusses his season with Chicoutimi and moving from the CHL to the NCAA next season.
Maxim Massé is used to scoring goals en masse. He's done it throughout his CHL career and is on pace to set a new career-high in points this season in his fourth and final season with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the QMJHL. Massé is also second in goals and fifth in points among all QMJHL skaters.
"Just maturity," Massé said of what's led to his continued production this season. "I’ve been in the league for four years now and (with) the same group of guys, so they know me well, I know them well. Maturity, I think, is the factor that (allows me) to play more (consistently). Game after game, I think it is the biggest difference."
"At 16 and 17, I was playing with (Andrei) Loshko. When I was 16, just getting (into the league), he was making the plays and kind of just giving it to me. I only had to shoot it. But I want to be more of an all-around player, get the puck more on my stick and score goals, be in front of the net and stuff to get some passes. But also create plays for my teammates. So I think that's my main goal, and that's the difference. Confidence, probably, too, is a little bit of that with four years in the league, too."
Not only has Massé been on the same team for all four seasons of his QMJHL career, but he's also been one of Chicoutimi's alternate captains in three of those four seasons.
"I'm not a guy who will talk a lot in the room," Massé said. "With my action on the ice and off the ice, I think that's the way I want to lead. That's the way I've been doing it for three years now, so I’m keeping it that way."
The Saguenéens currently sit second in the Eastern Conference and have already clinched a playoff spot. They have made the playoffs in all four of Massé's junior seasons and have not missed the playoffs as a club (excluding Covid-shortened season) since 1999-2000.
"First year, we were a little bit young, lacking maybe a little experience," Massé said. "But last year, we played a couple more games. We went six in the second round, so I think we all gained experience. Then we added some new players at the trade deadline that made a good couple runs too in the last year, so I think that will help us for sure."
Of all the additions that the Saguenéens have made, the most intriguing may be center Liam Lefebvre, acquired from the Rimouski Océanic and eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Lefebvre, like Massé, will be making the jump to the NCAA next season. Just 18, he had 29 points in 34 games for the Océanic and has 12 points in 12 games for the Saguenéens.
"He's a great player for us," Massé said. "I think he brings some grit, some speed. I knew him only for half a season, playing against him in Rimouski. But he's been great for us since he arrived. He's a gritty, speedy forward for our team."
Massé's decision to play in the NCAA with UMass next season stems from a reduced schedule compared to the CHL, which gives him more time to gain strength in the gym. Skating has also been a focus point for him since his draft year. According to Massé, the Ducks also thought the move to the NCAA would be good for him and were very supportive of it.
"It's good for the development," Massé said. "We're only playing 30-40 games a season. Gaining some strength in my lower body and upper body, too, and just getting better with my skating. They were supporting me 100% in that."
"It's gonna be a little different than here, like cooking a little bit more and everything else," Massé said with a chuckle. "But I'm looking forward to it. We'll see what's up."
Massé said he spoke with a couple of schools while exploring NCAA options, but that he clicked right away with the UMass coaching staff. "I was really happy about it," he said. "I was feeling comfortable there. With my parents and everything, it was the right choice for us."
Before he committed to UMass, Massé said he also spoke with several players who made the switch from the CHL to the NCAA this past summer about how their seasons are going and how their general lives have been while adjusting to a new league and environment.
One player who has played alongside Massé for almost his entire Saguenéens career is forward Émile Guité. Guité was drafted second overall in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft by the Saguenéens and has been one of their top scorers ever since. He, like Massé, is on pace to set a career high in both goals and points. Teammates for three seasons, Massé and Guité are now both Ducks draft picks after Guité was selected in the fifth round this past June.
"I was pumped last summer when I was watching the draft live," Massé said. "As soon as I saw him (get picked), I texted him, and he was pumped, too. Just being able to know someone going into the dev camp or (training) camp, I think it's huge."
"He can make plays," Massé said of Guité. "When I play with him, I try to create more plays for him so I can put the puck in the back of the net. Of course, he can make some plays for me, too. I love playing with him."
Massé said that development coaches from the Ducks organization are frequently in contact with him throughout the season, sending him clips to review and even having a skills coach travel to Chicoutimi to work with both him and Guité.
"Often, the development coach is texting me, just sending me clips. They were calling me on the road when we're playing, and then we had a skills coach who came to Chicoutimi. I think he's probably come like four or five times already, and then when he's coming in, it's like two, three or four practices of skating abilities and everything."
"With the development with the Ducks, the fact that they're coming in, they're sending me programs, just little things to do off the ice," Massé said. "I think I've improved a lot, first three steps, mechanic-wise, but it's still a part that I want to improve. Hockey is so fast, so I want to keep improving it, but I think I'm on the right path right now."
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