
This Michael Hage kid is pretty talented but apparently he wasn’t deemed good enough to make “mighty” Team Canada
at the World Juniors
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 3, 2025
Seeing him perform well at the college level, it’s natural to think he has a chance to sign his first contract with the Canadiens at the end of his college season.
But Hage – in an interview with Guillaume Lepage (NHL) – asserts that there is no rush at the moment. He will sign his contract when the Canadiens tell him he’s ready to do so.
Before entertaining the idea of seeing his protégé leave the collegiate circuit to play professionally, Brandon Naurato would like the Canadiens’ prospect to start dominating (in a clear way) the NCAA:
He’s doing very well in terms of production. But he’s not dominating games.
Ryan Leonard dominates games. Lane Hutson dominated games last year. That’s the next step for Michael. – Brandon Naurato
At what point will Hage be ready to graduate to the Canadiens organization? His coach believes he needs time, and Ramage is slightly putting on the brakes.
“I like to see them conquer the level they’re at before making the jump” #Habs https://t.co/UFL7POyouU
— Guillaume Lepage (@GLepageLNH) January 20, 2025
Michael Hage’s coach knows that his player has talent.
After all, Brandon Naurato does not understand Canada’s decision to overlook Hage for the last World Junior Championship, and according to him, the Canadiens’ prospect would be a player scoring around 150 points per season if he were playing in the CHL.
But the coach’s comments are logical because to make the jump to the pros at such a young age, a player must be too good for the league he’s in.
Hage is having a great season, and there’s no doubt about that. But he’s not dominating either, and we must not forget that the Canadiens’ prospect is only 18 years old.
He will celebrate his 19th birthday in April (the 14th)…
Could a second year in the NCAA hurt him? In my eyes, not necessarily. We all look forward to seeing him arrive in Montreal, and that’s normal, but a second college season would allow him to gain strength (and maturity) and give him the opportunity to be fully prepared for the awaited moment.
Unless he starts being really too good in the second half of the season at Michigan…
In Brief
– It has to be done.
Defencemen with 10+ points in 2025:
12 — Lane Hutson
11 — Zach WerenskiThat’s the list. pic.twitter.com/zTpBSohJEI
— Canadiens Muse (@Canadiens_Muse) January 20, 2025
– Nice list.
Everyone with 5+ MVP finalist nominations in the cap era:
— Sidney Crosby (7x)
— Connor McDavid (6x)
— Alex Ovechkin (5x)Nathan Mackinnon is on pace to get his 5th this season. pic.twitter.com/LK5w7KqbfG
— Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) January 20, 2025
– He looks fit.
Nice to see Emil Heineman in good spirits while he recovers from his injury
pic.twitter.com/WDn7czRIm1
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 20, 2025
– Note:
Laurent Courtois, Jalen Neal et Fernando Alvarez rencontreront les médias demain après-midi
Rappel: le #CFMTL affrontera le FC Cincinnati vendredi près de Tampa Bay.
— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) January 20, 2025
– Not a surprise.
Derek Ryan cleared waivers.
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) January 20, 2025