Max Graham feeling confident heading into new campaign
Kelowna Rockets Training Camp is presented by Kelowna Sand & Gravel
Kelowna Rockets forward Max Graham is entering his final season in the Western Hockey League and his confidence is at an all-time high.
The 20-year-old power forward posted career highs last year, posting 20 goals and 42 points in 67 regular season games while chipping in with eight points in 11 playoff games. The season earned Graham the opportunity to be selected with the 139th pick in the fifth round by the New Jersey Devils in the 2024 NHL Draft this past June.
“That was awesome,” Graham told kelownarockets.com ahead of the final day of Rockets training camp. “It had been kind of a long process not getting picked in the WHL Draft, not getting picked in the NHL Draft when I was 17 or 18 and just kind of keep trucking along and to finally hear the name get called and be lucky enough to go to a team like the Devils, it was an unreal feeling. Something I can’t even really put into words. It’s definitely nice to have that little feather in your cap and know there’s a team out there that believes in how you play but there’s still so much work left to be done. It almost makes you look forward to the future even more.”
While Graham posted those career highs on the stat sheet, he said he really started to find his groove near the end of the season. He’s looking to carry that over into both Rockets and Devils training camp as well as the remainder of the season.
“It was kind of a slow start to the year but as we went through the year, I kind of found my identity and the way that I need to play to be successful,” Graham said. “That’s being a 200 foot power forward that gets in on the forecheck, creates space, and gets to the net. I think the last maybe, 20, 30 games of the season, I had really honed in on it, and everything started clicking. When it started to click I felt good and I was able to bring that into playoffs as well. I’ve kind of found my play style, my identity and I just want to keep building off of that.
“I’m feeling really confident and knowing that you don’t have to put up crazy numbers to be valuable to your team is nice. Of course this year I’m coming in and I’m going to want to be putting up more points than last year. There’s no question about that. But just knowing that even when I’m not putting up points, I’m a player that can still be valuable. Whether it’s bringing the physical side to the game, sticking up for teammates, or just creating space for other players, it’s kind of nice and it does give you a lot of confidence when you go out there. For me it’s, obviously the points are nice, and as you get to be an older guy in the league, you need to be able to put up points, but to still be confident in your abilities if you’re not putting up points, I know I’m still valuable so that’s a nice feeling.”
Graham will make his way to New Jersey for Devils training camp in the coming days, his first in the National Hockey League. The six-foot-three forward said he’s just going to go try and show his best in front of the New Jersey brass.
“I don’t really have too many expectations going in. Being a 20-year-old that was just drafted the past year, you’re kind of a wild card, you don’t really know what’s going to happen” he said. But, I mean, of course I want to go in there and I want to show the way I can play.”
“I’m just going to kind of let the cards fall into place and see where everything plays out. Obviously it would be nice to be able to go there and impress them. Maybe get to play in a preseason game, get to go down to Utica for a little bit, play there, or who knows, maybe even be able to sign a contract. If that could happen, I’d be super pumped about that. If I come back to Kelowna, I’ll be just as happy. We’ve got an unreal team this year, and I think it would be a real special group to be a part of. So, either way, I’ll be happy.”
Should Graham return to the Rockets, he will be looked to as one of the leaders of this year’s group, having worn a letter on his jersey for the past two seasons.
“We’ve lost some leaders in (Dylan) Wightman and (Gabriel) Szturc so someone is going to have to step up and fill their shoes,” Graham said. “It’s not going to be all me. There’s tons of guys in this room that are going to be taking a step in leadership compared to last year.”
“It’s something that I’ll definitely have to focus on being an older guy. I know how it was being a younger guy and leadership is a huge part of junior, especially with such difference. Just try to focus on playing on the ice, but also off ice, be being a good leader and kind of taking some of the younger guys under my wing and helping them all that sense. It would be something I look forward to do.”
Kelowna will kick off the 2024-25 preseason on the road against the Kamloops Blazers at the Sandman Centre on Friday, September 6. Fans will get their first opportunity to see the Rockets when they host the Blazers the next night on September 7.
The Rockets will then wrap up their preseason schedule with a home-and-home with the Vancouver Giants. The Rockets will host Vancouver on Saturday, September 14 before travelling to Ladner to wrap up the preseason against the Giants on Sunday, September 15.
Kelowna will open the regular season on Saturday, September 21 against the Portland Winterhawks at Prospera Place.
Tickets can be purchased online through www.selectyourtickets.com, at the Prospera Place box office, or by phone at 250-762-5050.
Kelowna Sand & Gravel are the sponsoring partner for this year’s Kelowna Rockets training camp. Kelowna Sand & Gravel is the original source for Kettle Valley Granite in Kelowna, BC. They have a range of landscape materials, including natural stone products with a wide variety in size, colour, and shapes, as well as preparation materials like sand and drainage rock. They sell natural stone and hardscape materials to both landscapers and homeowners and look forward to serving all your landscaping needs.
