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.
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