Today new broke with Max Davidson declaring for the SMJHL Draft, to some this is big news but for the majority or fans this is not that big of news so let me build some hype. Davidson is a prospect I’ve been watching for a few years now, keeping a close eye on him this last year in particular. I feel like after going back and watching over 100 games worth of footage I can give an in depth report on the Winger.

Max Davidson was born in Canada, lived just outside of Victoria on Vancouver Island, grew up watching the Vancouver Whalers and Kelowna Knights. He had a standard upbringing, playing soccer and hockey. Max knew hockey was for him by the age of 12, playing top tier junior hockey until he was 16. He was Drafted into the Western Canadian Developmental League(WCDL), selected in the late rounds of the draft by the Victoria Queens.

His first year of junior was nothing special, most didn’t expect him to make the team immediately but though a strong camp showing of his skills, especially his shot. He played mid 6 minutes for most of the season not much power play time. Victoria made the last seed in the west but lost to Kamloops in a short 5 game series, Davidson was the stand out for Victoria as he scored 6 goals in the series including a hatrick in game 4 to prevent the sweep. Having watched a few games from the early part of the season and comparing them to the playoff games you can see how much better his positioning is as well as his net front presence.

Stat Line: GP:71 P:42 G:17

Davidson came back for his second year motivated, he wanted to keep up his momentum from last season. He was quickly slotted in on the team's first line, and first powerplay unit. He wasn’t the team leader at this point but was definitely learning in that regard. Davidson definitely has a better year leading the league in goals and was top 5 in points, which got him a nomination for MVP. The big difference was his play when he did not have the puck, getting open or getting to the net for a tip or rebound goal. It really seemed like he only ever scored a beautiful snipe or cashing in on a loose puck in front of the net,but he did both really well. Victoria also did much better earning home ice advantage against Medicine Hat in the first round, a series where Victoria won in 7 games with Davidson again leading the way with 5 goals and 10 points. The second round would not be so kind as they matched up Kamloops again, getting swept aside as Kamloops would go on to become the first undefeated playoff team in league history.

Stat Line: GP:82 P:102 G:58

This next year was another great year for Davidson as he would not only lead in both goals and points but break the goal record this year as well. In the offseason Victoria made several moves to get better, bring in top prospect center Karl Goode who would also be a top 5 point scorer this season, Goode was an outstanding playmaker and was more than capable in getting Davidson the puck when he needed it. With Davison and Goode leading the way Victoria was the top team in the league, now with many of the Kamloops players moving out of the league it left the top spot open. Davidson would win MVP by a landslide as he put up astronomical numbers this season. The post season was more of the same, Victoria crushed Cranbrooke with a sweep in the first round before beating Kamloops in the second round 4-2, and beating out Rocky Mountain House in the West finals 4-1. The finals saw Victoria face off against Thunder Bay who got moved from the eastern development league last season. Victoria also swept them. Davidson would win Playoff MVP with 27 points/17 goals in 21 games.

Stat line: GP:82 P:166(Record 174) G:94(New Record)

Davidson was expected to declare for the draft after this season but suffered a broken leg in the off season in a boating accident that would keep him out, so he waited for his leg to heal. Davidson would rejoin the Queens for the last half of their season to make sure he was ready to take the jump and help them defend the title. Davidson was still a star but he missed some of the magic the year before especially with Goode no longer on the team after getting drafted. Victoria would repeat as champions but more so on the effort of goalie Kyle Greenwood who held a .948 sv% through the playoffs.

Stat line: GP:34 P:38 G:20

So that is his story up until now, the next chapter will be seeing if a team will take a chance on him in the draft or on a PTO before the end of the season.

For those who don’t care about his back story only his skill set then this paragraph is for you. Davidson is a goal scorer, he can be flashy but he can also be gritty. His shot is elite but his positioning is also a key factor in his scoring ability, great at tips and net front scoring as well. He can pass fine but wouldn't call it his strong suit, skating is good as well. He is not really a checker, so don't expect him to go out and throw hits on a bottom line but that said he can take a hit just fine. The biggest question for him is if he can bounce back from the injury, he played well right after but it is still unknown if he’ll get back to that level again.

I think he’ll get drafted, I doubt in the first round but definitely in the mid picks. The kid has been putting work since he was cleared to play again and I can see a desire to reach the SMJHL and the SHL beyond that.