It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! The 2024 NHL Draft will be held on June 28 and 29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Up next is Michael Hage—the 24th-ranked prospect in our consolidated rankings. Hage was selected ninth overall in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection by the Kitchener Rangers, and his signing rights were subsequently traded to the Sudbury Wolves in September of 2022. Hage, however, has not—and likely will not—play in the OHL, as he spent the last two years playing for the Chicago Steel of the USHL and is committed to the University of Michigan going forward.
Who is Michael Hage?
| PLAYER | POSITION | HANDEDNESS | HEIGHT | WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Hage | C | R | 6’1″ | 190 lbs |
Hage is an Ontario product, born and raised in Mississauga. He played AAA hockey for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens.
Hage’s on-ice production
| YEAR | DRAFT RELATIVE | LEAGUE | TEAM | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | D-2 | U16 AAA | Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16 AAA | 57 | 46 | 70 | 116 |
| OJHL | Toronto Jr. Canadiens | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | D-1 | USHL | Chicago Steel | 13 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2023–24 | D+0 | USHL | Chicago Steel | 54 | 33 | 42 | 75 |
Hage played his D-2 season in the AAA for the U16 Toronto Jr. Canadiens, amassing 46 goals and 116 points in 57 games. He led the U16 AAA in scoring, and five of his teammates rounded out the league’s top six scorers as the Canadiens dominated their competition. In fact, the next highest-scoring forward not on the Canadiens had only 70 points.
This incredible season saw Hage drafted ninth overall in the OHL draft, but he opted to head south across the border instead to play alongside Macklin Celebrini with the Chicago Steel. Unfortunately, Hage suffered a shoulder injury in his first practice with the Steel, which required surgery. He missed the majority of his D-1 but still managed to score five goals and 10 points in 13 games.
Hage suffered another blow last summer with the tragic passing of his father. Despite all of the adversity he’s faced already at such a young age, Hage rebounded beautifully for the Steel in his draft year. With Celebrini and the rest of the team’s four leading scorers from last year moving on, Hage was tasked with leading the Steel offensively this year, and he did not disappoint. He led the team in goals (33) and points (75) over the regular season and picked up two goals and four points in round one of the Clark Cup Playoffs against the Green Bay Gamblers. Unfortunately, the Steel’s season ended with a game three loss to the Gamblers.
Hage’s strengths
Skating
Hage’s skating is the bread and butter of his game. He combines excellent edgework with a high-end top speed, making him very difficult to keep up with. Hage has breakaway speed that he uses to blow by opposing defenders, making him a very exciting player to watch. On top of this, he has a powerful first three steps that allow him to gain separation from his opponents quickly.
Intelligence (hockey IQ)
Another of Hage’s best attributes is his hockey IQ. He can read plays at a very high level and makes smart, easy-looking plays with the puck on his stick. Creativity is also a big element in Hage’s game, which is something that projects well to the professional level.
One thing I haven’t mentioned yet that deserves attention is Hage’s ability to find open ice. Without the puck, he’s very good at slipping behind opposing defenders to find open ice. With the puck, he spins and circles before exploding into open ice.
Playmaking
There’s really not much to dislike about Hage’s offensive game. As I said above, he makes smart passes; he’s very patient with the puck on his stick and doesn’t just try to get rid of it at the first opportunity. Hage excels at generating scoring chances for his teammates (and for himself). He always seems to know where his teammates are and is very good at drawing opposing defenders toward himself to open up a teammate for a pass.
Hage’s areas of improvement
Consistency
I had difficulty finding things not to like about Hage’s game, so this section might look like nitpicking. Hage can sometimes look non-committal or like he’s giving up on a play when he loses the puck. Offensively, when he’s stripped of the puck, I’ve thought his attempt to get it back was a little weak. He kind of floats for a moment before finding open space while a teammate battles to recover the puck.
If he can be more consistent in his tenacity on the puck, I can see his game hitting another level. This is not to say he isn’t a fierce competitor—because he is—but a little work in this area could make him even more of a difference-maker.
Defensive play
At one point, Hage’s defensive game was considered a liability. He’s put a lot of work into improving his defensive play to the point where it should no longer hold him back. It still has a long way to go to be ready for NHL competition, but it’s also good to see that he can identify weaknesses in his game and work at improving on them.
At times, Hage looks a little too relaxed in his own zone. He needs to become more relentless in battling opposing attackers. However—as I said—this is an area of his game he’s identified as a weakness and worked on.
Hage’s comparables
A player that Hage draws some comparison to is Jack Eichel. Quite the comparison! Like Eichel, Hage is an excellent skater with exceptional vision and playmaking ability. While it’s a long shot that Hage becomes an elite talent like Eichel, his skillset does have that foundation. At the very least, he should be a very good top-six centre.
If Hage can put it all together and elevate his game, he’d be an excellent pick later in the first round.
Fit with the Flames
I’m not sure we’ve said it enough yet: the Calgary Flames lack any kind of depth at centre. They don’t have an elite centre on the roster, and they don’t have a prospect with that kind of potential, either. Hage fits that second category—he would immediately be their best prospect at centre—and he does have the makings of a potential elite centreman. He would be a smart bet with the first-round pick Calgary acquired from the Vancouver Canucks for Elias Lindholm.
The Flames lack dynamic offensive talent, and Hage would fill that void. They also haven’t had a player who skates like Hage does since Johnny Gaudreau unceremoniously departed.
Summary
Hage is a player the Flames fanbase—and the hockey world as a whole—can get behind. He’s faced adversity and come out of it strong. He has an incredible skillset, highlighted by a high hockey IQ and elite skating and playmaking. While his playmaking may be considered his primary trait, his shot is nothing to balk at.
Hage also put work in to improve his defensive game, meaning his floor looks to be a well-rounded top-six centre. The sky is the limit for Hage, though. He could become an elite centre in the NHL, and that’s what any team who drafts him will be betting on.
Risk: 1.5/5
Reward: 4/5
Projection: Top-six two-way centre
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2024 NHL Draft prospects:
Macklin Celebrini | Ivan Demidov | Artyom Levshunov | Sam Dickinson | Cayden Lindstrom | Berkly Catton | Cole Eiserman | Zeev Buium | Konsta Helenius | Zayne Parekh | Carter Yakemchuk | Anton Silayev | Tij Iginla | Adam Jiricek | Michael Brandsegg-Nygard | Liam Greentree | Igor Chernyshov | Trevor Connelly | Aron Kiviharju | Michael Hage | Ryder Ritchie | Sacha Boisvert | Nikita Artamonov | Maxim Masse | Cole Hutson | Beckett Sennecke
