New England Hockey Journal catches up with Philadelphia Flyers forward Max Willman out of Williston Northampton and Barnstable High.
Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Hometown: Barnstable, Mass.
Position: F | Shoots: L | Size: 6-0, 184 | Age: 26
Notable: Third-year pro achieved notable NHL career firsts this season, debuting in the Flyers’ Oct. 15 opener vs. Vancouver and scoring first goal/point Dec. 10 at Vegas; Signed a two-year contract with Philadelphia in March 2021 after being originally drafted by Buffalo in 2014; Appeared in 30 AHL games for Lehigh Valley in 2020-21, recording nine goals and seven assists; Played four college seasons at Brown University before transferring to Boston University as a graduate student; Former captain at Barnstable High and Williston Northampton Schools
Favorites
Pregame meal: “Probably just grilled chicken, rice and broccoli with a salad. I like to keep it pretty simple and pretty consistent.”
Road rink: “Vegas was unreal.”
Drill in practice: “We call it ‘The Dilly Loop.’ It’s just a lot of puck touches, not many stops and starts. It helps us get a feel for the puck and move around.”
Vacation spot: Laguna Beach, California
Musician: “Anything country. I listen to Luke Bryan and a lot of the top artists now.”
Pregame song: “I’m not too superstitious about that. I’m usually good with whatever the guys have in the room, which is a lot of techno or dance music before games.”
Movie: “Dumb and Dumber”
TV show: “The Office”
Video game: “It was Fortnite and then Call of Duty, but I’ve also been into Apex Legends. Any of those three.”
Sport other than hockey: Golf
Sports team: New England Patriots
Non-hockey athlete: Tiger Woods
Equipment
Helmet: CCM
Stick: CCM
Gloves: CCM
Skates: Bauer
Interview
How would you describe yourself as a player? Who was your biggest NHL influence growing up, and why? “My game is pretty simple, pretty straightforward. A lot of it has to do with my work ethic and my compete level. I think one of my better attributes is my speed, so I try to use that as much as I can.
“I definitely watched a lot of Bruins games and a lot of hockey growing up, but there wasn't a particular guy I tried to model myself after. I definitely just tried to take parts of different guys’ games, whether it was (David) Krejci or (Patrice) Bergeron or any of those guys. I always wanted to take different things from different guys and learn by watching others.”
Where were you when you found out you’d be making your NHL debut? Any funny stories? “We actually had just finished a game down in Lehigh Valley, so I was in the gym stretching and doing my recovery when Brent Flahr (the assistant GM) called me into his office and broke the news that I was going to go up. I wasn’t really expecting to play right away and thought I’d be the 13th forward. I basically went back into the gym to continue stretching and he called me back and said, ‘One more thing, you can let your friends and family know you’ll be in the lineup tomorrow night.’ It was pretty funny. I’m glad he gave me the heads up so everyone made it down. Having it be opening night was pretty surreal.”
Your team in Philly has several players with local connections, including your former BU teammate Joel Farabee and Boston natives Kevin Hayes and Keith Yandle. How did they help make your transition to the room easier? “There are definitely a lot of familiar faces. I spent most of the summer in town in Philly and the Lehigh area, so I got to know some of the guys that had been in the NHL before. Having some of those relationships already built made the call-up easier and made that first game feel easier anyway. Those guys were welcoming and took me under their wing for that first game. They were all excited for me, too, so it was a great experience.”
What has having such veteran fixtures like Hayes and Yandle meant to you? “It’s awesome. They’ve been around the league for a long time, and Keith has had that ironman streak going. You just try and learn as much as you can from those guys. I’ve been lucky enough to play a little bit with Kevin on his line. I’ve just tried to learn from them each day and kind of pick their brains about what they either like doing in the gym, away from the rink or on the ice. The local ties make it all that much easier and a lot of fun.”
Where did you see the greatest growth in your game in the AHL last season? “I think last year I definitely took a step up in my game. I think it had to do with getting a little more opportunity and being put in different situations — a little more penalty kill and power play or the top two lines. Getting a little more playing time and being put into those offensive situations where I could showcase my talent and skill was important. I think my confidence grew with that and skating with some of the NHL guys this past summer. It showed that I could skate with them and play at this level.
“I always try to work on my overall game, whether it’s the little details in the defensive zone or working along the walls to protect pucks. Those little things may not get noticed on the scoresheet, but they make a difference when you jump to the next level.”
Being a New Englander and especially one who went on to an Ivy League school, did college hockey always feel like the natural path for you growing up? “Definitely. I wasn’t really looking at any other option. I wasn’t even looking at junior hockey before college. My mindset from my family was that education was most important and being lucky enough to get one from such a great school like Brown was incredible. It was an awesome experience.”
You suffered a season-ending injury as a senior at Brown, but then the opportunity to be a grad student at BU came about. What did that opportunity mean to you? “Tearing my ACL was definitely a tough way to end my Brown career. It was tough at that moment not being able to finish that out with my classmates and teammates for four years. Getting that fifth year was up in the air a little bit. It probably took about a few weeks to a month because it had to do with the NCAA and how many games I had already played in that season.
“Once I got word that I was able to have another year, BU kind of jumped right out to me because of the history and the facilities. It was a no-brainer being a local kid. I’m definitely so thankful that it all worked out.”
Your path to the NHL is pretty rare these days in that you played at Barnstable High for four seasons, did a postgraduate year and went right to Brown. How much pride do you take in that and representing New England as a whole in the NHL? “I think that’s one of the biggest things I take pride in because those four years were some of the best memories I’ve ever had. You’re playing with your best friends, playing for your town and for your school. It was always fun playing in those playoff games at Gallo (Arena in Bourne). I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.
“I thought about doing the prep route early, but I’m glad I stayed all four years. It shows that you don’t need to go somewhere else to play to get there. You can still develop and grow your game at a public school just like anywhere else. You don’t need to go to juniors right away because it’s always there afterward if you need a little more exposure. For me, it was the PG year.”
What was the athletic culture like on the Cape? “They definitely love their hockey down there. Everyone gets around the football team in the fall, but it’s all about hockey in the winter. Just playing for your town, playing for your friends and classmates, there was nothing better.”
Aside from your NHL “firsts” this year, what is your favorite hockey memory? “The one that always sticks out was getting drafted. It was after my year at Williston and it was actually at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, so it all comes full circle now. That was definitely a special moment for me and my family, and my coach from Williston (Derek Cunha) came along as well. We still talk to this day and he’ll always check on me. That was definitely a special one along with the first game and first goal like you said.
“As far as on the ice, playing in the Beanpot was pretty special. That was something I grew up watching and going to. Sometimes I wish I could have played in more (than one), but getting that one was a special experience.”
