Michael Hage (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The Montreal Canadiens possibly changed the course of their franchise at the 2024 NHL Draft, selecting both Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage in the first round.
While Demidov has been receiving almost all the attention from media and fans alike, Hage has been putting up an impressive showing for the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA; a performance that is worthy of his standings as a 1st-round pick.
In an exclusive interview with RG, Hage credited his seamless transition to NCAA hockey to his team and coaching staff; praising them for all the work they’ve put in with him.
“On the ice it’s gone pretty well. Guys are just stronger and older. It’s more physical in the NCAA, which is a good challenge for me.”
“We’ve got a great leadership group here that helped me get set up. On the ice, they’ve helped me manage my time better and it’s helped me a lot.” said Hage. “The coaching staff have been great for me, explaining their systems and breaking down plays with me. The communication has been great.”
There’s always a little bit of concern going from the USHL, the best junior league in the United States, to the NCAA. Players are older, more physical and the games are far more structured, but Hage has taken the transition in stride.
“It’s the kind of challenge that makes you want to get better at every practice,” he said.
Future in the NHL
When asked which player he models his game after, Hage mentioned that he watches a lot of hockey and takes from many of the great players in the NHL.
But bringing up Jack Eichel’s name seemed to invoke a stronger reaction than most, as both are centers with good speed and excellent hands that dominate play in transition.
“Eichel’s a good one. He’s a guy I’ve tried to model my game after. He’s creative and pretty rangy,” said Hage. “He’s someone I try to take things from as you work on your own game, but I like the way Eichel plays with the puck and pushes pace.”
Now, granted, Eichel was a 2nd overall pick so it’s important to note this conversation is about style and not career projections. However, you can see the similarities in the way they both play the game on the ice.
But, where could one project a player like Hage at the NHL level? The youngster didn’t hesitate to give his prediction, but it came with some mature self-awareness.
"I believe I'll be the type of offensive center that can play in a top-6 in the NHL. But I know I won’t get there on skills alone and that it’s going to be a process,” said Hage. “I'm going to have to earn it and work at it every day to get there. Nothing is ever given to you in the NHL."
That work has already begun for him with Michigan, as he leads the team with 9 points in 9 games as a freshman; despite the Wolverines not having a strong offensive team this season.
Relationship With Hockey Canada
Despite being one of the most impressive U-18 Canadian hockey players last season, Hage wasn’t invited to join a very young Team Canada roster last spring.
“I wasn’t invited to that. I was able and ready, but just never got the call from Hockey Canada,” said Hage.
It’s a widely known unwritten rule that Hockey Canada will favour CHL players over Canadian-born players playing abroad in the USHL or the NCAA.
For Hage, he completely understands their reasoning and isn’t expecting them to change their minds anytime soon, especially with World Junior selection camps coming up next month.
“I understand the circumstances and I will try to control what I can control,” said Hage on the situation. “My goal is to improve as a player and help Michigan win a national title. If that comes at the expense of representing my country, then I accept it.”
It’s an unfortunate reality that many Canadians have faced in the past, with only the truly elite youngsters breaking the mold; but with the NCAA’s recent ruling, that may change the conversation.
“The new rules will change things a little bit. It would make college hockey that much better,” said Hage. “It will bring in more guys in the CHL, but I don’t know exactly how that would look like for other leagues.”
Relationship With the Canadiens
Hage remains focused on his personal development and being at the top of his game for the Michigan Wolverines; all while keeping in touch with the Canadiens along the way.
“They have player development people that come watch games and give you feedback, like Rob Ramage who came to my game recently,” said Hage. “They want to let you play your game.”
The Canadiens continue to keep tabs on the youngster and see how he’s doing as he gets acclimated to the NCAA as a freshman this year; but they haven’t been overly involved in his on-ice development.
They likely feel he doesn’t need it. They likely feel that Hage has been in good hands for a while now, as he was a pupil of Montreal Canadiens’ Director of Hockey Development, Adam Nicholas, back in his Chicago Steel days in the USHL.
Clearly the organization has a lot of faith in the 18-year-old, and Hage has been motivated to continue to prove them right for trading up to select him back in June.
Canadiens Culture
Despite growing up in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Michael Hage speaks French quite fluently, a tool that will serve him well once he turns pro.
“Growing up, from grade 1 to grade 5, I went to French school. That’s where I first learned. But, it gets rough when you don’t speak it for too long,” said Hage about learning French while living in the GTA. “As a kid I would go see my grandparents often in Montreal and I speak French whenever I’m with them.”
And through his family, most of which still reside in Montreal, is where the passion for the Canadiens grew.
It’s an underrated aspect of his psyche that he truly understands the gravitas of wearing the Montreal Canadiens jersey and what integrating within the culture and history of the organization truly means to fans of the Bleu Blanc Rouge.
Hage continues to practice his French in his weekly calls to his grandparents and jokingly admitted that he’ll flip the switch for real when he eventually gets to Montreal in the future.
The Million-Dollar Question
But when is he planning to come to Montreal? It’s a tough question to ask any NCAA-based player, because the reality is – they truly don’t know.
“It’s about taking it one year at a time. I’m in no rush. I want to develop my game and help Michigan win a championship at the same time,” said Hage about his future.
Although he’s gotten off to a strong start, the goal remains to win with his teammates and reach a level of play that would be worthy of professional hockey.
Other top picks like Ryan Leonard (Washington) and Perreault (New York) could also have jumped to the pros this year, but decided to stay in the NCAA in pursuit of a national title.
For Hage, that’s exactly what drives him, which is why he’s not in a rush to make a decision on his future just yet.
“At the end of the year, I’ll talk to my agent and take into account what Montreal wants to do and go from there. But I’m 100% focused on helping my team win a championship right now.”
Marco D'Amico is a beat reporter covering the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL Draft, while also being a recurring guest on TSN690 and BPM Sports. His work primarily on NHL CBA breakdowns and prospect analysis, all while covering the Montreal Canadiens on a day-to-day basis.
