Heise excited to face former team Vees for first time
For the first two years of his junior hockey career, Max Heise wore the blue and white colours of the Penticton Vees in the BCHL. After Penticton became the newest WHL expansion team in 2025-26, Heise shipped off to Prince Albert, playing his first season as a Raider. The transition so far has been smooth, as Heise sits fourth in team scoring with 56 points (24-32) in 53 games. The Calgary, AB product was drafted by the Raiders in the third round, 55th overall, in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
With the weekend approaching, Prince Albert’s schedule on Friday night is busy: a home game against Heise’s former team. It’s the first time ever that the Raiders and Vees will square off, as they’ll drop the puck at 7pm at the Art Hauser Centre.
“It’s exciting,” Heise said about facing his former team for the first time. “They’re doing really well right now, so they’re going to come with a push. Freddy’s (head coach Fred Harbinson) going to have them dialled. It’ll be funny to see a few familiar faces out there, but I think all the guys in our room are excited for this game.”
Heise spent the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with the Vees, where he scored 33 goals and added 26 assists in 99 games. The 19-year-old looked back at those season in Penticton as positive development years, which ultimately led him to getting drafted by the San Jose Sharks in last summer’s NHL draft.
“It was a really good experience for me. I don’t think I’d be the player I am today without going there. They developed me really well, they taught me everything I know today, what junior hockey is all about, and the business side of it, too. I really enjoyed my time there, and now I’m really looking forward to this game.
“I think with just how much work they helped me with, making a clear development path for me, and helping me on the physical side of things,” Heise explained as the reasons he was drafted to the NHL. “On the ice, they were pretty dialled in with me there. I was on for a lot of extra skill sessions and a lot of extra work. Penticton helped me a lot there.”
Penticton has played four of their six games through the East Division so far, owning a 2-2-0-0 record. When Prince Albert rolled through the U.S. Division in November, they came home with a 4-1-1-0 record. When asked about fatigue towards the end of the swing, Heise said that’s something the Raiders can try and take advantage of out of a heavy bus legged Vees team tomorrow night.
“When we were on our trip, I know it started to become a grind. I think as the home team, we’ve got to jump on them quick, and pound them into the ground for 60 minutes. That’s what our mindset needs to be going into this game.”
Another advantage to being the home team tomorrow night is playing inside of a raucous Art Hauser Centre. With the past three home games seeing attendances of 2892, 2908, and 2772, the atmosphere has been incredible. It’s something that Heise has noticed the most about being a Raider in his short time in Prince Albert.
“One of the special parts about playing in Prince Albert is the fans,” he said. “We get excited and we talk about it in the dressing room, what’s the rink going to be like, what’s the atmosphere going to be like tonight? When we get out there for that first puck drop and it’s buzzing, it’s pretty fun for us to play and we definitely feed off the energy.
“It’s definitely cool to play in front of. They’re loud, they’re into it. It’s the best fan base that I’ve been a part of. They’re super passionate. It’s a small town, and they rally.”
With 11 games left in the regular season, the Raiders are in a battle to lock up the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Prince Albert is five points up on the Medicine Hat Tigers, but Heise knows it will be a battle all the way to the end of the season.
“We just have to stay even keel with it. Can’t get to high, can’t get too low. It’s only five points separating us from Medicine Hat, so these games are going to be really important coming up.”
The Raiders are home for two games this weekend! The Penticton Vees are in town on Friday night, and the Prince George Cougars stop by the Art Hauser Centre on Saturday night.
TICKETS VS THE VEES: CLICK HERE
TICKETS VS THE COUGARS: CLICK HERE
