Max Kopf, a 6-foot, 170-pound junior forward on the fledgling Sewickley Academy hockey team, is known for his hard work and dedication both on and off the ice.
“When Max plays to his identity, he is a strong positional player who uses his body and stick effectively and is willing to get into the dirty, areas of the ice,” said Jake Gradwell, the Panthers’ coach. “In those moments, he uses his size to drive to the net hard, creating scoring chances for both him and his linemates. When he commits to that style of play, he becomes a difficult matchup and has a noticeable impact on our offense.”
Kopf has been skating in rinks for almost as long as he can remember. He started learning about hockey at Robert Morris at around the age of 5, then competed for the Arctic Foxes club program until last year.
However, it was off the ice last summer where the lifetime Sewickley resident made a significant impact on his future endeavors.
Kopf, 17, landed an unpaid internship with Cassidy Levy Kent law firm in Washington D.C., working and learning the ropes on trade law for two months. CLK specializes in trade law and has satellites in Ottawa and Brussels.
The apprenticeship proved to be a highly valued and unforgettable experience, confirming Kopf’s belief in a law career.
“I have an interest in law,” Kopf said. “Taking an online college course two falls ago, and speaking with my parents, we thought it would be a good experience to make sure that my passion for law was something to pursue through an unpaid in-person internship. I had a conversation with one of the partners at the firm last winter, and we put together this opportunity for June and July 2025.
“When I first came to the firm, I was unsure what to expect for work, but I got tossed right into the deep end with research for a global steel dumping case, then came the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ (the federal government budget reconciliation bill of 2025).”
Kopf dove in headfirst.
“The law firm represents clients in the solar industry, and it was important for them to understand the impact of the new legislation on their business,” Kopf said, “so I was asked to read the whole thing and create a white paper. This consumed a good chunk of my time down there.
“What was most rewarding was being able to attend a hearing at the International Trade Commission on my last full day there and hear some of my research cited in testimony. It was such a great experience and really affirmed my desire to go to law school.”
Kopf’s dad, Robert, said he already is proud of Max’s work ethic and accomplishments at this stage in his life. Kopf has been preparing to apply to colleges next year.
“It was quite the time to be in D.C.,” Mr. Kopf said, “learning quite a bit about policy implementation and details around putting the Big Beautiful Bill into law.”
The Sewickley Academy hockey team, meanwhile, won its first game of the season Sept. 29 against Burrell, 1-0, before going on a dry spell.
Win No. 2 arrived Dec. 8 in a 4-1 decision versus Central Valley as David Merlo netted two goals for the Panthers. Brooks Kraina and David Merlo tacked on a goal apiece while Kopf, Cole Carlson, Mathias Lieb, Evan Baker and winning goaltender Jack Carlson all were credited with assists.
“The most exciting thing about this year’s team is the trajectory we are on,” Kopf said. “As a freshman two years ago when the academy restarted the hockey program, we had a huge amount of blowout games and running clocks. Last year, it got a little better, but alas, it was still winless.
“The school’s commitment to the program this year is evident, as our new coach has us playing a more structured, competitive brand of hockey, resulting in closer games.”
Gradwell indicated that Kopf is one of the more consistent players on the squad.
“Consistency in his game and in his commitment to our team identity and systems — he has shown what he’s capable of when he fully commits to that standard, and that level needs to show up every night,” Gradwell said. “As an assistant captain, leadership starts with habits: how you prepare, how you compete and how you respond when games get difficult. Leading by example is non-negotiable and an important lesson for players in leadership roles.
“Looking ahead to next year, I expect Max to take full ownership of that role and establish himself as a dependable leader and contributor. If he brings that level of compete and engagement on a consistent basis, he has the ability to be a tone-setter for our program and someone younger players can model their game after.”
As for the second half of the 2025-26 season, Gradwell is looking for the Panthers to continue to grow and establish good habits.
“We’re focused on establishing habits, playing with pace and purpose and holding ourselves accountable to our standards every day,” he said. “Wins matter, but how we compete, prepare and show up matters more.
“If we stay committed to our identity, execute our systems and continue building on the progress we’ve made, this group has the ability to finish the season the right way and set a strong foundation moving forward.”
Sewickley is a member of the PIHL Division 2 Blue Division this season along with Ringgold, Burrell, Neshannock, Trinity, Wilmington and Carrick.
“For the future, things are looking up as (Panthers director of hockey operations and former Pittsburgh Penguins forward) Tyler Kennedy has assembled a good group of middle school players,” Kopf said, “who will begin contributing on varsity when they get to high school.
“We can’t just be satisfied that getting our first win(s) achieved our goal. We need to start stringing together more wins more consistently. We have a series of good games coming over the next couple of weeks where we can really prove ourselves.”
Kopf has a 4.0 unweighted GPA, is a member of the boys tennis team and speaks three languages — English, Spanish and Slovak. He participates in DECA, a business competition, and mock trial and runs a finance and trading club.
“Just yesterday, I found out my teammate Giovanni Di Domenico and I won in the DECA district competition and will head to states in February,” Kopf said. “Our event was Entrepreneurial Team Decision Making.”
Kopf also volunteers frequently at Center for Hope in Ambridge, where since his freshman year he has distributed produce and other foods as well as stocked shelves.
“I do a couple of things with them, like working in the food pantry, where I mostly help the Spanish-speaking people that come through because I can communicate with them,” Kopf said. “Recently, I finished working with the Center for Hope on their Shark Tank program, where I was a mentor for a few kids and helped teach them how to make a sales pitch and how to budget resources.
“Additionally, I help people sign up for the food bank by providing assistance on the forms. I am particularly used as an English to Spanish translator for the forms as there is a large Spanish immigrant population in the Ambridge area that seek the food bank’s services.”
Kopf grew up in a bilingual household and is fluent in both English and Slovak.
“My mother is from Slovakia, and she’s taught me Slovak since birth,” he said. “I take Spanish in school at level 5.”
Kopf will be heading back to Washington D.C. in the summer of 2026 to intern at Cassidy Levy Kent law firm once again.
“Which I am super excited about since I loved the experience last year,” he said.