Prospect Info: [2024 - 21st] Michael Hage, Chicago Steel (USHL), Committed to U of Michigan

[KevSkillz4]

We are all excited about Demidov (with reason), but Hage is very special aswell.

The skillset he show so far in NCAA, that's a skillset of a 60-70 pts player in NHL. This guy have elite skating and hands. His hockey IQ, very very good. Good shoot aswell.

I'm so happy with the future of Habs.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

We are all excited about Demidov (with reason), but Hage is very special aswell.

The skillset he show so far in NCAA, that's a skillset of a 60-70 pts player in NHL. This guy have elite skating and hands. His hockey IQ, very very good. Good shoot aswell.

I'm so happy with the future of Habs.

He makes me less worried about Dach

 

[KevSkillz4]

He makes me less worried about Dach

Me too. Laine aswell.

With Slaf, Demidov, Suzuki, Caufield, Hage and Newhook... that's already looking like a very very good top 6.

Dach and Laine are "big" bonus, if they stay healthy, that's change the top 6, but we can live with their injuries problems.

 

[BoneHutson]

This fixation on Roy is mystifying. I hope I'm wrong but with the wave of talent coming, I can't see him and several other current fringe forwards being on this team by the 2027 season. There will be way, way too many better options: Beck, Demidov, Hage, Florian, Thorpe, Kapanen, Sawyer, Tuch, etc. And that doesn't even take into account those 3 first and 4 seconds that Hughes has already garnered over the next 2 years and the free agents that may be added as existing veterans' contracts terminate. Heck, if Allen and the Devils continue to win, that conditional 3rd round pick may well turn into the 5th second rounder.

I get Demidov and Hage but how tf are Thorpe, Florian, Sawyer all better than Roy?! Jesus christ the takes on this thread.

 

[KevSkillz4]

I get Demidov and Hage but how tf are Thorpe, Florian, Sawyer all better than Roy?! Jesus christ the takes on this thread.

I really like Sawyer, but I agree with you. Roy is ahead of them in term of offensive talent and potential. They are all bottom 6 potential. Roy can already play in bottom 6 with top 6 potential.

 

[Habano]

Small sample size but man, what a debut. I'm really pulling for this kid. Great story!

 

[Mrb1p]

This fixation on Roy is mystifying. I hope I'm wrong but with the wave of talent coming, I can't see him and several other current fringe forwards being on this team by the 2027 season. There will be way, way too many better options: Beck, Demidov, Hage, Florian, Thorpe, Kapanen, Sawyer, Tuch, etc. And that doesn't even take into account those 3 first and 4 seconds that Hughes has already garnered over the next 2 years and the free agents that may be added as existing veterans' contracts terminate. Heck, if Allen and the Devils continue to win, that conditional 3rd round pick may well turn into the 5th second rounder.

Probably as wrong as when you said Cedrik Guindon would be better than him.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

This fixation on Roy is mystifying.

Over a year ago I got mocked by several posters for saying he's a dime'o'dozen prospect. I guess that realization still hasn't come to some.

 

[Gally11]

Over a year ago I got mocked by several posters for saying he's a dime'o'dozen prospect. I guess that realization still hasn't come to some.

That’s a bit much lol, he had a bad camp but still an awesome prospect. Not Hage or anything but has great middle six upside

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

That’s a bit much lol, he had a bad camp but still an awesome prospect. Not Hage or anything but has great middle six upside

Which screams dime'o'dozen. Every team has one or two of those. Nothing to write home about.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Which screams dime'o'dozen. Every team has one or two of those. Nothing to write home about.

What are you talking about? There aren't that many players with 2nd line/elite 3rd line capability.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

What are you talking about? There aren't that many players with 2nd line/elite 3rd line capability.

Pure overevaluation based on your perception of him on a weak team where he can be slotted higher and have more opportunities. He wouldn't get close to the top 6 on a stacked team and he's not an elite 3rd liner. Ask that question to yourself.

There are literally 400 to 500 forwards in the league who are equal or better than him, and the % goes the same for prospects. Every team has a few prospects like that.

Oliver Kapanen is already outshining him while having zero NHL experience. We have many other prospects who may also outshine him in the next couple of years.

Elite 3rd liner! SMDH

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Pure overevaluation based on your perception of him on a weak team where he can be slotted higher and have more opportunities. He wouldn't get close to the top 6 on a stacked team and he's not an elite 3rd liner. Ask that question to yourself.

There are literally 400 to 500 forwards in the league who are equal or better than him, and the % goes the same for prospects. Every team has a few prospects like that.

Oliver Kapanen is already outshining him while having zero NHL experience. We have many other prospects who may also outshine him in the next couple of years.

Elite 3rd liner! SMDH

He can be a great 3rd line forward. I'll take Bedard's word for it. He will have to give 100% though.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Beautiful hockey player. Kid's skating is so fine.

 

[Habs]

Which screams dime'o'dozen. Every team has one or two of those. Nothing to write home about.

I agree, I see nothing special here at all thus far. I also got roasted for labeling him a dime a dozen prospect. Every team has 3-4 players just like him.

This Hage kid looks promising, I had NEVER heard of him before the draft but damn he's smoothe out there.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Over a year ago I got mocked by several posters for saying he's a dime'o'dozen prospect. I guess that realization still hasn't come to some.

I hope you’re wrong but fear you’re spot on.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

I hope you’re wrong but fear you’re spot on.

He'll probably carve out a career as a bottom sixer. Maybe a bonafide 3rd liner in his prime, but I doubt he'll be top 6 material. I may be wrong, but I don't see qualities that will later translate to a top 6 roll on an average to succesful team.

 

[Mrb1p]

Which screams dime'o'dozen. Every team has one or two of those. Nothing to write home about.

Dime a dozen ? Who's the last prospect the habs graduated with a similar profile ? Lekhonen ?

He'll probably carve out a career as a bottom sixer. Maybe a bonafide 3rd liner in his prime, but I doubt he'll be top 6 material. I may be wrong, but I don't see qualities that will later translate to a top 6 roll on an average to succesful team.

Why is this such a bad thing ? That's such a weird statement.

1. That doesn't make him a dime a dozen prospect.
2. Should we trade every single prospect we have /Demidov and Hage ?

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Probably as wrong as when you said Cedrik Guindon would be better than him.

Both will probably be out of the organization in two years. No big deal.

 

[morhilane]

I have no idea who people are talking about in this thread anymore.

 

[26Mats]

Hage will be a top 6 player.

That would be great. Especially if he's a top 6 player that either beats out one of Caufield, Suzuki, Slaf, Dach, Laine, or Demidov, pushing them to the 3rd line, or himself is on the 3rd line even though he's a top 6 talent. Would be great for our offense.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I get Demidov and Hage but how tf are Thorpe, Florian, Sawyer all better than Roy?! Jesus christ the takes on this thread.

He has been obsessed with crapping on Roy and clearly has no idea what he is talking about....nice guy but he is just as grossly off as when he was stating that Guhle was not a good skater when we drafted him.

 

[26Mats]

This fixation on Roy is mystifying. I hope I'm wrong but with the wave of talent coming, I can't see him and several other current fringe forwards being on this team by the 2027 season. There will be way, way too many better options: Beck, Demidov, Hage, Florian, Thorpe, Kapanen, Sawyer, Tuch, etc. And that doesn't even take into account those 3 first and 4 seconds that Hughes has already garnered over the next 2 years and the free agents that may be added as existing veterans' contracts terminate. Heck, if Allen and the Devils continue to win, that conditional 3rd round pick may well turn into the 5th second rounder.

Devils would have to win AND Allen would have to play something like 41 games. That is unlikely unless Markstrom gets injured.

 

[MangoX]

Devils would have to win AND Allen would have to play something like 41 games. That is unlikely unless Markstrom gets injured.

Devils would have to make the playoffs and Allen would have to play 40 or more games to make it a 2nd round pick.

Hage looks great! What a debut! Did he commit for 2 years at Michigan? I hope the team can sign him to a ELC before the season is over.

 

[Intangir]

Devils would have to make the playoffs and Allen would have to play 40 or more games to make it a 2nd round pick.

Hage looks great! What a debut! Did he commit for 2 years at Michigan? I hope the team can sign him to a ELC before the season is over.

He's there for 4 years unless we sign him before that, which is the norm for players going the NCAA route.

As far as signing Hage before the season is over, well, I mean no disrespect but I really think that it would be too soon and would be a mistake.

I really like Hage's game overall, and he HAS shown good progression from January 2024 to now. But I feel that two years in the NCAA would do wonders for his development, like it did for Caufield and Hutson more recently.

Hage still needs to get much stronger physically, get better/more active along the boards, refine his reads even more off-the-puck, and better himself defensively if he wants to be a long-term top-6 center.

The NCAA is a step below the AHL but still a good league to refine defensive play in given how much more structured the game is there as opposed to the CHL. Then you add-in the fact that it's also the perfect place for him to bulk-up with more gym time and less games than any other NA league, and Michigan's training facilities are world-class to boot.

So yeah, it's a no-brainer for me to have Hage stay at least two years there. At least, that's how I feel right now.

But if Hage shows development throughout the year and shows amazing performance after amazing performance for the Wolverines this season then we would need to re-evaluate him of course.

Just, barring that meteoric rise as a prospect that I've described, I'd still prefer if we took our time a bit.