We’re starting to get into that area where players on the list have NHL experience. We weren’t expecting Max Crozier to be one of those players, but he showed well in his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning last year.
| N ame | Max Crozier |
| Position | Right Defenseman |
| Age (as of October 1) | 24 |
| Height/Weight | 6’1″, 196 lbs. |
| Expected 2024-25 Team | Syracuse Crunch/Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Draft – Year, Round | 2019, 4th Round #120 |
| Previous Rankings | #19 (2023) |
| Writer’s Ranking | 8 |
| Reader’s Ranking | 8 |
| Final Rank | 8 |
Stats
Our Thoughts
While injuries are an unfortunate part of the game we enjoy, they also present opportunities for some players. No one in the organization embraced the opportunity presented by the wave of injuries to the Lightning’s blueline last year more than Max Crozier. In his first full professional season, Crozier went from playing on third pairing in the AHL at the beginning of the season to starting NHL playoff elimination games by the end of the year.
As a result he zoomed up the Top 25 Under 25 rankings from 19th last season to 8th this year. That’s not a bad little climb in his last year of eligibility for this list. He enters training camp with a legitimate shot at making the roster. If he doesn’t quite make the cut on October 10th, he will be at the top of the list for recalls. At this point it isn’t a matter of if, it’s a matter of when, he’ll be a regular in a NHL line-up.
Crozier is the latest example of defensemen that made the transition from the AHL to the NHL smoothly despite a rather short stint with the Syracuse Crunch. Nick Perbix, Emil Lilleberg, and to an extent, Cal Foote, are previous blueliners who didn’t take long to adjust to the NHL after spending some time in the AHL. Part of that reason is that players like Perbix and Crozier were a little older, having played collegiate hockey.
In Crozier’s case he played four seasons at Providence, earning the role of team captain in his final year. Hitting the pros at 23-years-old as opposed to 21 doesn’t seem like much, but for players, especially defenseman, there is a lot of maturing on the ice that takes place in the early 20s.
After a 9-game stint in 2022-23, Crozier joined the Crunch full time last year and put up 21 points (4 goals, 17 assists) in 49 games. Eight of those points (2 goals, 6 assists) came on the power play, an impressive total for a rookie on a team that had a lot of veteran players on the blueline. It did take Crozier awhile to get going, but he was at his absolute best down the stretch for the Crunch. Following his return to Syracuse, he put up 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) in his final 13 games. That earned him one more recall to the Lightning and he appeared in three playoff games against the Panthers, averaging more than 14 minutes of ice time.
What we saw during his time with the Bolts is indicative of the type of player he is. He is calm on the ice and doesn’t get flummoxed when forwards are bearing down on him in the offensive zone. He is physical in front of his net and is a decent passer on breakouts. His skating is okay and good enough to get by at this point.
Offensively, he has a heavy shot from the point and an accurate wrist shot that finds the net. He can run a power play (as the highlights below will show) but probably won’t be asked to do that at any point soon with the Lightning. However, if he does start the season in Syracuse, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him quarterback the first unit.
His ceiling in the NHL will likely be a third-pairing defenseman who can play more if the situation dictates it. It will be a tough battle to earn a starting spot in the right side this fall, but with the way Erik Cernak plays hockey, there will be an opportunity to fill in as an injury replacement at some point in the season. Much like some other players before him (Perbix and Darren Raddysh) once he gets that chance, he may not give the Bolts a reason to send him back.
Highlight Videos
Crozier showed off his quick decision making here on the power play. As he drew attention to the center of the ice, he fired a quick pass against the run of play to Gage Goncalves to start the quick passing play.
Here is a good example of his slapshot. With plenty of space to get it off, he blasted it past the goaltender. That shot is good enough to beat NHL goaltenders.
Another power play goals for Crozier in this highlight. Despite the pass not being right on the tape he was still able to make an adjustment and get some pretty good pace on the shot.
Here we have a nice example of patience. Crozier had a couple of chances to fling the puck on net, but he waited until there was a seam to put the shot-pass on net.
In the NHL, Crozier showed that he isn’t overwhelmed. He took it down the boards, and with his head up the entire time, he could see the opening to put the shot on net to create the rebound.
