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

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Nope that's just fiction.

Not fiction. The game was definitely slower and the average athlete less talented and the difference in equipment is highly overstated.

 

[schwang26]

Nope that's just fiction. Also, put McDavid in the old game and his ankles would snap trying some moves with those skates.

Um what? I grew up watching hockey in the mid 70’s and have followed ever since. What exactly is fiction? Watch old clip of games from the 60’s, 70’s and parts of the 80’s and tell me that there weren’t a lot of slow moving players compared to today. Remember when they played the Soviets for the first time in ‘72? Canada couldn’t keep up. What we consider slow today would be much faster back then. You can’t measure speed by comparing it to your opponents. A turtle looks fast compared to a snail. But it’s not actually moving that fast. Its perception. As for Mcdavid, I’m talking speed not moves.

Not fiction. The game was definitely slower and the average athlete less talented and the difference in equipment is highly overstated.

Yes. Thank you!

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Better to be too fast than too slow. One is an issue you can address, the other, you can’t. Just ask the myriad of players playing in the AHL who can’t breach the gap to the NHL.

There are also a ton of fast Ahlers who can't make the NHL.....speed pales in comparison to hockey IQ as an essential component to NHL success.

 

[Rapala]

Remember when they played the Soviets for the first time in ‘72? Canada couldn’t keep up.

Ummm...
One team was honed to a sharp edge from the outset while the other team was fat and out of game shape.
Paul Henderson and company had no problem keeping up with the Soviets by games 6-7-8.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I think you have to separate it by eras. You have to keep in mind that back then, there were a LOT of slow moving, out of shape players. A decent skater could look like McDavid out there. Put him in today’s game, and he looks like Gally. You have to view it according to the other skaters at the time.

That’s why the question: who is/was the best Canadiens’ skater? Is really difficult to answer.
A truthful answer means snubbing a lot of childhood heroes.

 

[schwang26]

Ummm...
One team was honed to a sharp edge from the outset while the other team was fat and out of game shape.
Paul Henderson and company had no problem keeping up with the Soviets by games 6-7-8.

Um. Ya fat and out of shape as I basically said. And I know I’ll lose my Canadian citizenship for this, but the biggest reason Canada beat them is because they gooned it up. They played dirty and got away with it. Overall, the Soviets were much better skaters. Yes of course there were fast players on Canada. I’m not saying that. My original argument is that you can’t call a guy “fast” if the competition is generally slow.

 

[OneSharpMarble]

Who was the best at dumping the puck in and going for a line change?

 

[habbubba]

Whenever I overhear or see folks debating over different eras, can't help but laugh some as it's a silly waste of time, but it's their time and they can fritter it away the way they want to.

 

[the valiant effort]

You guys that put today’s athletes on a pedestal beside Zeus are crazy. You think Cy Young was tossing a 64mph fastball or something? Because he didn’t have access to BioSteel? Bobby Hull’s clapper shattered that post just because it wasn’t tempered or what?

Testosterone levels are down across the board over decades, and, no, it’s not just among the fat, unsporty swath of society. Exhibit A.Z.69:

 

[1909]

Cournoyer and Lafleur.

Béliveau, Frank Mahovlich were quite fast even if they did not seem like it because of their long strides.

 

[themilosh]

There are also a ton of fast Ahlers who can't make the NHL.....speed pales in comparison to hockey IQ as an essential component to NHL success.

1000%. The ever so elusive IQ stat which doesn't exist atm..

 

[Rapala]

Whenever I overhear or see folks debating over different eras, can't help but laugh some as it's a silly waste of time, but it's their time and they can fritter it away the way they want to.

Yeah skaters like Coffey and Neidermeyer would excel just as well in today's game as would forwards like Glenn Anderson and Mike Modano.
All the greats would have excelled with today's modern training because they had the it factor and nothing would stop them from achieving their goals.

 

[TT1]

Hage has a lot of Eichel in him, you get surprised with his skating and hands the same way you do with Eichel. He comes at you with a lot of wide movements but then he pulls it in quick.

 

[Heffyhoof]

Um what? I grew up watching hockey in the mid 70’s and have followed ever since. What exactly is fiction? Watch old clip of games from the 60’s, 70’s and parts of the 80’s and tell me that there weren’t a lot of slow moving players compared to today. Remember when they played the Soviets for the first time in ‘72? Canada couldn’t keep up. What we consider slow today would be much faster back then. You can’t measure speed by comparing it to your opponents. A turtle looks fast compared to a snail. But it’s not actually moving that fast. Its perception. As for Mcdavid, I’m talking speed not moves.


Yes. Thank you!

Neat, but even as a novice in the hockey shop business, I've handled skates that were 40+ years old. I know that the tech is so wildly different that if McDavid tried some of his high speed electric moves, the skates wouldn't support his weight anywhere near the way they do now. There's a skate blade company that claims something like a 2-5%~ increase in skating speed because their blades use a form of steel that compresses better and can use the resulting force when pushing off of a skate to increase speed more efficiently.

 

[JC Superstar]

Who was the best at dumping the puck in and going for a line change?

Allright, this is my last out of topic post. Every famous line added something new to the hockey landscape. The punch line (Richard, Blake and Lach) added forechecking in an era where everybody was going back when losing the puck.

The Esposito line with Cashman and Hodge played the corners and the slot like never before.

But the dumping of the puck was used as an offensive tool by the line of Gordie Howie, Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel: they would dump the puck, force the defenseman to turn around which was not in the required skills at the time, and race to the corner. When Howe or Lindsay would race you to the corner it was terrifying, especially when there was metal screen instead of tempered glass over the boards.

Then they began dumping for line change because few were able to use it offensively.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Neat, but even as a novice in the hockey shop business, I've handled skates that were 40+ years old. I know that the tech is so wildly different that if McDavid tried some of his high speed electric moves, the skates wouldn't support his weight anywhere near the way they do now.

The way you portray this, player's skates would've broke on impact every time they braced for hits as the applied force is much greater than when McDavid dispy doodles at high speed. Completely overstated.

There's a skate blade company that claims something like a 2-5%~ increase in skating speed because their blades use a form of steel that compresses better and can use the resulting force when pushing off of a skate to increase speed more efficiently.

5% is small compared to the actual difference of speed and space between now and the expansion era.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

You guys that put today’s athletes on a pedestal beside Zeus are crazy. You think Cy Young was tossing a 64mph fastball or something? Because he didn’t have access to BioSteel? Bobby Hull’s clapper shattered that post just because it wasn’t tempered or what?

Testosterone levels are down across the board over decades, and, no, it’s not just among the fat, unsporty swath of society. Exhibit A.Z.69:

Without being partisan, there does seem to be some mitigating factor where on the whole I think generally athletes are in better shape now but it’s not this runaway advantage that it should be.

I see basketball highlights and Shawn Kemp’s in game dunks still feel especially explosive or rookie Jordan’s freakish athleticism would likely still be a site to behold even today.

 

[SlafySZN]

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

He’s electric

 

[Adam Michaels]

And he belongs to the Habs!!

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

And he belongs to the Habs!!

He, Fowler and Demidov when he gets ice time are the only prospects outside of the ones with the Rocket who do much. Two were just drafted and 1st round picks.


This prospect pool needs work.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

He, Fowler and Demidov when he gets ice time are the only prospects outside of the ones with the Rocket who do much. Two were just drafted and 1st round picks.


This prospect pool needs work.

2022 looks pretty amazing right now.

Already have 2 in the Habs and both are already impact players. Beck, Engstrom and Davidson are standouts in the AHL right now. The latter putting up gaudy goal totals.

2023’s top pick is injured. One of its other picks was just named to the KHL all star team. Xhekaj’s been great for a 4th rounder. Fowler like you said has been dominant.

2024 like you said has yielded 2 of the most promising forwards we’ve drafted in recent memory.

Where’s the problem?

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

2022 looks pretty amazing right now.

Already have 2 in the Habs and both are already impact players. Beck, Engstrom and Davidson are standouts in the AHL right now. The latter putting up gaudy goal totals.

2023’s top pick is injured. One of its other picks was just named to the KHL all star team. Xhekaj’s been great for a 4th rounder. Fowler like you said has been dominant.

2024 like you said has yielded 2 of the most promising forwards we’ve drafted in recent memory.

Where’s the problem?

I forgot Bogdan and Sam Harris.

So 5 and Xhekaj, who's gone.

Has had 19 picks those two drafts. Let's add Reinbacher and Protz, who is hurt and a defensive dman.

That's 8 of 19 that are just playing meh.

You use 19 picks you're hoping around 15 are playing well, or surprising.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

I forgot Bogdan and Sam Harris.

So 5 and Xhekaj, who's gone.

Has had 19 picks those two drafts. Let's add Reinbacher and Protz, who is hurt and a defensive dman.

That's 8 of 19 that are just playing meh.

You use 19 picks you're hoping around 15 are playing well, or surprising.

Just ignore 2022 then? lol. Sure I guess.

The top guys all look great except Reinbacher who’s injured.

Who’s really underperforming that is of consequence right now? Tyler Thorpe would be one. Eriksson another. Both fairly late round picks. Are we counting the Mittlestadts and Merrills? Are we gonna just pretend all picks are of equal value and just ignore the quality?

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Just ignore 2022 then? lol. Sure I guess.

The top guys all look great except Reinbacher who’s injured.

Who’s really underperforming that is of consequence right now? Tyler Thorpe would be one. Eriksson another. Both fairly late round picks. Are we counting the Mittlestadts and Merrills? Are we gonna just pretend all picks are of equal value and just ignore the quality?

The later picks, yes they're pretty much all the same.

The goalies (aside from Fowler) are very meh and/or often injured.

And yes, we're counting Mittlestadt and Merrill.

Merrill is playing inna weaker league and isn't doing well.

Mittlestadt is in his 3rd year (?) And still doesn't seem to be processing.

Thorpe I'd like to see be a bit more productive.

But you can look at a lot of them and want more from them in their current league.