Max McCormick Announces Retirement

According to an announcement from the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, captain Max McCormick has retired from professional hockey. McCormick lost the entire 2025-26 campaign due to a hip injury, and that likely influenced him to hang up his skates.

McCormick, 34, was drafted with the 171st overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators. Before turning pro, McCormick spent his collegiate days at The Ohio State University, scoring 36 goals and 88 points in 104 games from 2011 to 2014. He eventually signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Senators, but spent his entire first season with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators.

Although he would never lead the team in scoring throughout his tenure, McCormick became a relatively solid secondary contributor with the AHL Senators. Across four and a half seasons, McCormick registered 61 goals and 125 points in 254 contests. Additionally, Ottawa is where McCormick earned the most NHL opportunities throughout his professional career, scoring six goals and 10 points in 71 games from 2015 to 2019.

The Senators eventually traded McCormick to the Colorado Avalanche halfway through the 2018-19 campaign. He finished the campaign with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles before departing for the Carolina Hurricanes the next offseason. He spent two years with the Hurricanes organization, again primarily playing for their AHL affiliate. They mildly used him in the NHL during the 2020-21 season, finishing with two goals and three points in 12 games, averaging 7:49 of ice time.

Again looking for a new home, McCormick signed with the new Seattle Kraken franchise, where he would ultimately finish his career. He had an impressive two-year run with the Firebirds, the best of his professional career, scoring 60 goals and 127 points in 139 games, which helped the team reach back-to-back Calder Cup Finals, losing both times to the Hershey Bears. Unfortunately, over the past two years, McCormick’s career was derailed due to his chronic hip injury.

The De Pere, WI native concludes his career with 159 goals and 337 points in 540 AHL games, along with 26 additional goals and 45 points in 53 postseason contests. Additionally, McCormick tallied eight goals and 13 points in 94 NHL appearances. We at PHR congratulate McCormick on his 12-year professional career and wish him the best in his next chapter.