Always something to prove for Max Hildebrand
Nick Nielsen-In the 2019 WHL draft, 19 teams had already decided to skip their by the time the Raiders final pick of the draft came in round 13, pick number 286. With the second last selection made in that year’s draft, the Raiders decided to take a flyer on a goaltender from just down the road in Martensville named Max Hildebrand.
That flyer didn’t just turn into one of the best, if not the best, goaltenders in the WHL as a Goaltender of the Year candidate, but a Player of the Year Candidate, a team MVP, a league leader in games played, shots faced and saves made, and a leader in the community as both a team Humanitarian of the Year award winner and a nomination for it at the league level.
Hildebrand’s junior career didn’t start how he expected, first splitting time between the Raiders and the Flin Flon Bombers of the SJHL in his 17-year-old season. Growing up around the WHL with his dad Steve working with the Saskatoon Blades, Hildebrand knew he wanted to get into the WHL, and it gave him something to prove early in his career.
“I wasn’t in the SJ for too long, just like half the year there, but this is my dream, where I wanted to be just growing up around the league and it’s not the end of the road, but it’s been a blast so far and it’s been awesome. Proving people wrong is the most fun thing to do in the world.”
Hildebrand had his iconic moments with the Raiders. The Cobra Chicken celebrations that came out of a shootout win over Saskatoon in 2024 and again with a win in 2025. The huge hit he laid on Red Deer’s Brett Calhoon. The slamming the net down celebrations after a shutout among other victory celebrations. The iconic custom designed shoes designed like his pads to raise money for charity.
It’s clear why Raiders fans were drawn to Hildebrand both on and off the ice, and those iconic moments were inspired by what he saw when he came to his first training camp.
“It’s super cool to think about. I came here right after they won and just seeing the videos of when Dante Hannoun scored that OT winner (in game seven of the finals).”
For the most iconic moments of his career though, there are two that stick out the most for Hildebrand. The first, unselfishly, was the pop from the crowd on Lukas Dragicevic’s game winner with 3:01 left in the third period to give the Raiders the division title over the Saskatoon Blades in the final game of the 2024-25 regular season.
In his other favourite moment, Hildebrand was at centre stage: a 30 save game seven shutout over the Edmonton Oil Kings to win a 5-0 decision.
“I think Drago scored late and I’ve never heard this building that loud in person. So that and then the game seven win against Edmonton. Just after being down and out 3-1 and just being able to flip that net over one more time and just having the Hauser horn go off and… yeah, something I’ll never forget.”
For someone who has become so synonymous with the Prince Albert Raiders, it’s odd to think that he was a Saskatoon Blades fan before becoming a member of Hockey Town North. Hildebrand had a lot of thanks to his father Steve, the Assistant General Manager for the Blades, in helping Max grow his love for hockey.
“Everything I ever learned before getting here about junior hockey off the ice, it all came from him and just being around the dressing room. I can’t thank him enough for all the support and always being there for me and letting me roam around the room when I was a kid. It probably wasn’t too fun for him all time but at the end of the day, he was wearing a Raiders jersey for game seven in Art Hauser. I never thought I’d see that, but yeah, it was fun to see. The boys loved it.”
Shortly after the decision was made by the NCAA to allow CHL players into their college ranks, Hildebrand made the commitment to play with the Bemidji State University Beavers in NCAA Div. I next season.
“It’s going to be fun. I mean, it’s a unique situation for sure just with that rule change and no one’s ever done it before. It’s going to be different going to school and having to balance both things again, but something I’ve done in the past and I’m looking forward to it.”
Even as a goaltender, Hildebrand managed to be a leader in the room despite playing a position very different from everyone else. Even though the goaltending position is one that can be very isolated, Hildebrand’s closing advice to his teammates is to not just enjoy your time in junior hockey, but enjoy the people around you too.
“Just have fun and it flies by pretty quick. Everyone says it, but you don’t really know until it’s your time. Always hang out with the guys and never be the guy that’s not out with the guys, and that’s really it. Just enjoy it, have fun, and work your butt off.”
With 162 appearances between the pipes for the Raiders between both playoffs and regular season, Hildebrand finishes fourth all time amongst games played as a goaltender in team history.
