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WJC 2025: if Michael Hage wants a place, he’ll have to have an excellent season

 Emma Wilson
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WJC 2025: if Michael Hage wants a place, he’ll have to have an excellent season
Credit: Capture d'écran / Screenshot

With the Olympic activities coming to a close today, it’s fair to conclude that Canada has had a great run at the Summer Olympics.

We know that winter sports are Canada’s strength, but we’ve had proof that the country is not to be neglected in summer.

The winter sport that Canada is most likely to dominate is, of course, hockey.

Recently, The Athletic published a projected line-up for four countries for the next World Junior Championship in 2025.

Canada, the USA, Sweden and Finland all have great line-ups.

But let’s just say that the Canadian line-up is VERY well filled.

And let’s not forget Aatos Koivu with Finland.

On paper, Canada’s line-up looks unbeatable.

On the other hand, the Americans have quite a line-up too, and from the looks of it, they’ll be the two most dominant teams in the upcoming tournament.

On the Canadian side, there are a number of unheralded prospects to keep an eye on.

Depending on their upcoming season, they could force Junior Team Canada to select them.

Michael Hage, 21ᵉ overall pick in 2024 by the Montreal Canadiens, could very well be one of them.

Talented as he is, Hage has the makings of an army. What’s more, his skating stroke is already among the best, and he’s not bad defensively either.

Well, defense isn’t his specialty, but his hockey sense helps him get by in any situation.

Personally, I see the possibility of a situation similar to Owen Beck’s when he broke into the lineup in the winter of 2022-23 as a 13ᵉ forward.

He had taken the place of Colton Dach, who had been injured during the tournament, and Beck quickly proved his worth.

In fact, he was named assistant captain at the last edition.

Michael Hage could well be chosen as an additional forward in this well-endowed line-up, or even as a regular forward.

For that, he’ll have to prove this year with the University of Michigan that he deserves his place by having an excellent season.

One good season probably won’t be enough to break into this line-up.

Of the 18 Canadian skaters on Scott Wheeler’s projected roster, 14 are first-round picks…

And among the other four players is Gavin McKenna, who is seen as the first overall pick in… 2026!

Not in 2025, but in 2026.

We saw at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup that Connor Bedard’s cousin by marriage (no blood relation) was very dominant, despite his 16 years of age.

Carson Rehkopf is a 2ᵉ round pick in 2023, but has just scored 52 goals and 95 points in 60 OHL games. He also brings a physical aspect that will be very important.

Denver Barkey, meanwhile, is a 3ᵉ round pick in 2023, mainly because of his small stature.

However, he has just proved that he is one of the top offensive prospects, scoring 102 points in 64 games.

In short, Michael Hage will have his work cut out for him if he wants to break into this line-up.

There’s plenty of depth in the lineup (Cayden Lindstrom on the 4ᵉ line, Sam Dickinson and Carter Yakemchuk on the 3ᵉ defensive pair).

However, Hage’s chances are there. He simply has to prove that he belongs.


Overtime

– Ryan Reaves could be traded with the Maple Leafs’ forward congestion. With Toronto, he’s likely to miss his turn more often than not.

– Despite 54 goals this season, he hasn’t broken the point-per-game mark (77 points in 80 games). I don’t see him getting to 86 points this season.

– That’s a nice memory.

– Juraj Slafkovsky will be the featured player on the next Poolers’ Guide 2024-2025.

– Read more.

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