Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
I notice he has Michael Hage higher than a lot of other lists. He mentions that scouts say he's an inch or two taller than the 6'1" than his central scouting listing. Sounds like a guy that could be a nice fit with the Canucks pick.
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Hage will be a huge riser, as he's had an offensive explosion the last little while. In the last 20 games, he's put up 34 points, and is caught up to Trevor Connelly in production. Connelly has 66 points in 48 games (1.38ppg), where Hage now has 68 points in 50 games (1.36ppg). Connelly is a winger, whereas Hage is a C. I think he may go in the top-15, and if he's taller than his listed height- he may go top-10.
My Profile of Hage:
More and more, I'm seeing RHC Michael Hage's name come up, and he seems to be on a sharp rise on most lists. At the tender age of 17, he's already the marquee player for the Chicago Steel, who are perrenial contenders, but are in a bit of a rebuild right now. Gone from last year's team are Macklin Celebrini, Nick Moldenhauer, Jack Harvey, Jayden Perron, Quinn Finley, and Zam Plante. The Steel are currently 6th in the East out of 8, and are in a 3-way tie for 11th out of 16 teams overall, with a goals-for that puts them 12th. Despite having a weaker supporting staff, Hage has piled up 34 points in 30 games to date, good for 16th in scoring, with only 8 points coming via the PP. His current pace puts him on track to get 66 points in 58 games- to put that into a bit of perspective, Johnny Gaudreau had 72 in 60 in his draft year on a USHL team that won the Championship. Hage missed the entire 2020-21 Covid season, and only put in 13 games in 2022-23, due to injury.
Hage is the type of player that makes his teammates better, and drives play. He's equal parts scorer and cerebral playmaker, with top-tier advanced intelligence and vision, and a good shot with a deceptive release. Hage is an effortless skater, and extremely agile, with high-end skill. He seemingly attacks traffic, skating with his head up to scan for options, and can create something out of nothing in small spaces. Most scouts that have seen him play rave about his smooth stickhandling, and his wide array of 1-on-1 moves that he uses to slip in between attackers, and weave through traffic. He also has excellent lateral mobility, and will battle in the hard areas. Hage pushes pace, and has high motor.
Hage is fully capable defensively, but is often caught cheating for offense on a low-scoring team. His numbers are impressive, but 5 of his points came in one game. He is committed to the University of Michigan, but not until 2025-26, so there's oodles of runway for him to get bigger, stronger, and to round out his game. I believe we'll see him picked in the latter part of the first round.