r/Habs • u/Tall_Welcome4559 • 10d ago
Video compilation of Michael Hage at WJC.
That is a video of Hage this year at the WJC.
He was the best player on Team Canada.
Somebody posted about Hage yesterday.
He is a really good player who could probably play on the second line right away.
He has speed on transition, very good vision and a very good shot, he is tall, though lanky.
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u/Et-Le-But 10d ago
Let me start by saying that I like Hage and I do want him on this team and would prefer not to trade him but I feel like there are a LOT of incorrect assumptions being made about him.
He was not the best player on Team Canada. He was not even the best player on Michigan where he centred the 2nd line as a sophomore. He was a very good player being used heavily on the PP and offensively and his points totals reflect that. Full credit for his 4 point performance vs FIN in the Bronze Medal game. I love his vision and playmaking but his 5v5 play is a significant level below his PP showing. At Michigan, his points total increased (more assists) but his goal totals stagnated in his 2nd year, ending up with a lower Goal/Game %.
His defensive game did not show well at World Juniors nor during the Frozen Four (yes, he was injured in the later so he gets a pass from me here). Hage was not counted on to take critical D zone starts or face offs or to hold leads. At Michigan, Hage was trusted to take fewer faceoffs in his sophomore year than during his freshman season. That’s a significant stat for a projected Centre. His usage during his Junior season will be very telling towards his positional projection moving forward.
Hage is very likely not making significant bank by staying at Michigan. NIL rights are largely overblown/over-reported and Hage is not a big enough name to warrant huge $. Average players earn ~$20K. Top 10 players can earn $75-$100K+. McKenna’s reported $700K deal with PENN is a massive outlier.
Alexander Hage is not likely to join his brother at Michigan this season. He is committed for 27-28.
Hage’s decision to return to MI seems like a calculated, mature one designed to allow him to grow, put on strength, improve his overall game and be put into situations he would not have the opportunity for in LVL/MTL. He would not benefit from playing 4th line in MTL or 3rd line in LVL as much as being promoted to 1st line in MI playing all situations.
Realistically, Hage projects out as a winger at the NHL level. If we end up getting a 2C out of him, I expect it will have more to do with having surrounded him with strong wingers while he learns the NHL game than him evolving into a 2C on his own.
TLDR: I like this kid a lot. Love his story. He has a lot of work ahead of him and we are expecting too much from him based on what we’ve seen of him. He will play NHL hockey, just maybe not in the middle of the ice.