Max Wanner

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| name = Max Wanner

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2003|3|12}}

| birth_place = Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 3

| weight_lb = 185

| position = Defence

| shoots = Right

| league = NHL

| team = Boston Bruins

| prospect_team = Providence Bruins

| prospect_league = AHL

| draft = 212nd overall

| draft_year = 2021

| draft_team = Edmonton Oilers

| career_start = 2023

}}Maximus Wanner (born March 12, 2003) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

= Amateur =

Starting in the 2019–20 season, Wanner played for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Wanner saw limited action over the next two seasons due to both injury and a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web |last=Palmer |first=Randy |date=2021-08-05 |title=Warriors’ Wanner reflects on NHL Draft and selection by Edmonton |url=https://www.moosejawtoday.com/local-news/warriors-wanner-reflects-on-nhl-draft-and-selection-by-edmonton-4197715 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=MooseJawToday.com |language=en}} Despite the adversity, Wanner was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL entry draft, 212th overall.

Over the next two seasons, he put up solid offensive numbers while serving as a presence on the Warriors blue line. He ended up scoring 53 points in 99 regular season games, and 14 points in 19 playoff games, although the Warriors would not make it out of the second round in either playoff.

During the 2022–23 season, Wanner was suspended 17 games by the WHL for an off-ice incident. Details of the incident were not made public, but it was deemed that the incident was non-criminal.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-08 |title=Incident that led to suspension of 4 Moose Jaw Warriors not criminal in nature: Edmonton Police Service |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/moose-jaw-warriors-suspension-hockey-whl-1.6772387 |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=CBS News}}

= Professional =

== Edmonton Oilers ==

Wanner signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Edmonton Oilers on September 30, 2022.{{Cite web |last=Palmer |first=Randy |date=2022-09-30 |title=Warriors’ Wanner signs entry-level deal with Edmonton Oilers |url=https://www.moosejawtoday.com/local-news/warriors-wanner-signs-entry-level-deal-with-edmonton-oilers-5894181 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=MooseJawToday.com |language=en}} Although he would stay in the WHL for the following season, afterwards, he would join the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Oilers, the Bakersfield Condors.

In his first professional season, Wanner scored 17 points in 68 games, exceeding typical expectations of a seventh round pick. Entering the following season, many scouts and reporters saw Wanner as a player that could defy the odds and have an impact at the NHL level despite his low draft status.{{Cite web |last=McCurdy |first=Bruce |date=2024-09-06 |title=Diamond in the rough -- have Edmonton Oilers mined another late-round gem on the blueline? |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/diamond-in-the-rough-have-edmonton-oilers-mined-another-late-round-gem-on-the-blueline |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Edmonton Journal}}{{Cite news |last=Mitchell |first=Allan |date=2024-08-09 |title=Why Oilers prospect Max Wanner is a darkhorse for 2024-25 NHL debut |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5690112/2024/08/09/oilers-prospects-max-wanner/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Unfortunately, early in the season, Wanner took a puck to the head, resulting in him missing 16 games due to injury.{{Cite web |last=Curlock |first=Bruce |title=Mid-Season Oilers Prospect Report: Looking at players ranked No. 10 to No. 1 |url=https://oilersnation.com/news/mid-season-oilers-prospect-report-looking-at-players-ranked-no-10-to-no-1 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=OilersNation |language=en}}

== Boston Bruins ==

On March 4, 2025, Wanner was involved in a three-team deal that involved him, a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft, and a fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft, to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Trent Frederic and Max Jones.{{Cite web |last=Vautour |first=Matt |date=2025-03-04 |title=Boston Bruins deal forward to Oilers for prospect and picks |url=https://www.masslive.com/bruins/2025/03/boston-bruins-deal-forward-to-oilers-for-low-prospect-and-picks.html |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=masslive |language=en}} At the time, Wanner had scored just a goal and an assist in 22 games with the Condors. Wanner reported to the Bruins AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Unfortunately, he would be unable to produce much more offense in Providence, registering just three assists in 15 games, and being a healthy scratch for all of the Bruins playoff games.