Introduction
Michael Hage got to realize a childhood dream when the Montreal Canadiens traded up in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft to select him. A second-generation Habs fan and fluent French speaker, he had impressed the management of his favourite team enough that they were willing to use their draft capital to bring him into a rapidly deepening prospect group. Fast forward a year and change from that selection, and the club is likely feeling pretty good about that decision.
Despite being a first-round pick of the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL priority selection, Hage had his sights set on the NCAA and the University of Michigan. With a very strong showing in the USHL, he put himself on the map for the 2024 draft, but needed a big performance in his draft-plus-one season to prove that he was worth the cost of moving up.
Michigan was a program going through some significant changes as Hage joined the team. They had lost their top three scorers from the previous season in Gavin Brindley, Rutger McGroarty, and Dylan Duke, their top defenceman in Seamus Casey, and standout forward Frank Nazar, each heading off to begin their professional careers. As a freshman, Hage had the unenviable task of stepping up to lead a program that had been picked apart by various teams in the professional ranks.
And lead he did, putting up over a point per game and helping the team to a season-ending ranking of 15th, nationally. He fell just short of the team lead in points, but was undeniably their most dynamic player night in and night out. While it wasn’t the level of success that Michigan has seen in the past, it was a very respectable result considering how many key players they had lost. Hage was a huge part of that, and the expectation for this season will be for his role to grow even more as the team looks to take a step forward.
Voting
Eight of 12 panel votes placed Hage precisely where he landed at ninth on our list, which is about as close to a consensus as we tend to see in this series outside of the top five. It is nearly a universal agreement that he belongs in the top 10, with only one dissenting vote.
The community vote was quite similar to our panel vote, with a very large percentage of voters having him at or around the ninth spot.
Top 25 Under 25 History
Hage rises four spots from his debut at 13th on last year’s list. While that may not seem like a big jump, considering the strength of the group of players around him, it is a testament to how impressive his freshman campaign was.
History of #9
Year
#9
2025
Michael Hage
2024
Joshua Roy
2023
Joshua Roy
2022
Jordan Harris
2021
Jordan Harris
2020
Ryan Poehling
2019
Alexander Romanov
2018
Noah Juulsen
2017
Michael McCarron
2016
Sven Andrighetto
2015
Jarred Tinordi
2014
Artturi Lehkonen
2013
Louis Leblanc
2012
Danny Kristo
2011
Aaron Palushaj
2010
Tom Pyatt
Strengths
Offensively, Hage is pretty close to the complete package. He has an excellent shot, deceptive skating, high-level puck handling, and can string any of these skills together on the move to create opportunities for himself. He uses his length extremely well in puck-protection, and can flat-out embarrass defenders who try to take the puck from him as he attacks the middle of the ice or the front of the net.
Nasty goal from #gohabsgo Michael Hage. pic.twitter.com/kx3rErpTud
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) October 19, 2024
He is a legitimate play-driver from the centre position, and this shines the most in transition. While he isn’t the fastest player, he puts all of his tools together to manipulate defenders, and his high hockey IQ enables him to decide whether the move will be to set up one of his teammates on the rush or keep a look for himself. He seems to favour playmaking a touch more than shooting, but he does an excellent job keeping his opponents guessing as to what he might do with the puck.
Passing could very well be a skill that he is taking to the realm of the elite. He threads some seemingly impossible passes to his teammates at times, typically while staring in a different direction to confuse defenders.
His physicality is also excellent, and excitingly still under development. He stands at 6’1″ and 190 pounds for now, but still looks like he’s on the skinnier side. The amount of physical development a player can go through between the ages of 19 and 22 is well-known, and Hage has plenty of room to fill out his frame and become more of a menace before he joins the professional ranks. With size and skill to boot, there is a lot to be excited about as he enters his second NCAA season.
Weaknesses
Personally, I liked a lot of what I saw from Hage on the defensive side of the puck last season. He seems like he’s putting significant focus on improving his 200-foot game, which is wildly important for a player with aspirations of playing centre in the NHL. That said, it remains his biggest opportunity, as continuing to focus on that aspect of the game will go a long way to helping him reach his ceiling. The effort is there, he just needs to get better at providing support for his defencemen and improve his slot coverage.
Questions have also been raised about his compete level at times, though this too seemed to be less of a problem during his freshman year. He brought more intensity while back-checking and rarely took a shift off. Much like his focus on the 200-foot game, he has to make it a priority to bring that intensity every single shift as a sophomore. If these two areas of his game continue to improve, he has an excellent chance of reaching his ceiling and becoming a very important player for the rebuilt Canadiens.
Projection
There is no doubt that Hage has the potential to slot in behind Nick Suzuki at some point as the second-line centre for the Montreal Canadiens. Hage reaching his ceiling would finally see the Habs fill that spot behind their ace that they’ve been trying to address for some time now. A great many fans were hoping that the team would do something this off-season to fill that spot, however, because it is unclear when exactly they’ll have Hage ready for such a role.
We know it won’t be this year, since he’s back at Michigan for his sophomore season. What he does in 2025-26 in the NCAA could go a long way in determining his readiness. He has the talent to go the Cole Caufield route and turn professional after just two seasons, but this is decidedly harder to pull off as a centre. Hage needs to show something extra this season, and prove that he’s capable of withstanding the grind of an NHL season, or fans will once again be hoping for the team to figure out an alternative.
This season is probably Kirby Dach’s last kick at the can with the organization. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the year, and it is hard to see the team re-signing him to be the second-line centre if he doesn’t find his game. That would leave a pretty big spot open in the lineup for Hage next year, failing any other additions to the team. If he has a big year with Michigan, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he ends up getting the call to join the Habs toward the end of their season should he be available to do so. If he doesn’t, they may prefer to let him cook for one more year in the NCAA, and would likely have to consider other options in the interim.
It is definitely a show-me season for Hage. If he plays to the best of his ability, he could find himself wearing the Tricolore sooner than later.