Michael Hage is making his case as one of the hottest players in college hockey, and the Montreal Canadiens’ top prospect is doing it on a Michigan team that has been rolling.
The 20-year-old, taken 24th overall in the 2024 draft, has been a driving force for the Wolverines as they’ve surged to an 8-1-0 start. Michigan’s only setback came against Ohio State in a rivalry game, when the Buckeyes handed them a 5-2 loss this past Saturday.
The response came quickly. Hage delivered a five-point performance the next night to help Michigan edge Ohio State 5-4 in overtime on Sunday.
Hage’s production has been eye-opening all season. Through nine games, he has four goals and 16 assists for 20 points, with three four-point outings already on his ledger.
That pace puts him in rare company. Since 2000, only one NCAA player has averaged two points per game: the late Johnny Gaudreau, who posted 36 goals and 44 assists for 80 points in 40 games.
Michigan will try to keep that momentum going when it returns home to face Penn State on Friday.
This is Hage’s third season with the Wolverines, and his numbers have climbed every year. He put up 34 points in 33 games as a freshman, then followed that with 52 points in 39 games as a sophomore. This season, he’s also been handed a bigger role off the ice, earning a spot as an assistant captain in Michigan’s leadership group.
He’s not the only NHL prospect putting up big numbers in Ann Arbor. Jayden Perron, a 2023 third-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, has 19 points through nine games and is also tracking at nearly two points per game.
Michigan’s roster is loaded with NHL talent. The Wolverines have 14 other NHL prospects on the team, 16 total when Hage and Perron are included, and that doesn’t even account for defenseman Landon Dupont, who is widely viewed as the top overall prospect for the 2027 NHL Draft.
For Montreal, Hage is the name at the center of all of it. He’s a center, and while the Canadiens continue looking for a top-six center behind Nick Suzuki, they may already have their answer waiting in college if they’re willing to be patient until his Michigan run is finished.
In Other News...
Phillip Danault Is Making This Canadiens Decision Much Harder
Phillip Danault has opened the season in a way that has complicated what looked like a straightforward Canadiens decision. With a teammate out of the lineup, his role has grown, and the added responsibility has only underscored how useful he remains to Montreal at a time when many expected this to be his last year in town.
The bigger question now is whether the Canadiens can afford to treat him like a short-term piece when his play is making a longer look harder to ignore. There has been speculation the club could revisit its plans, even as his trade value would not bring much back, which leaves Montreal weighing present value against whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Found October Hope In One Rising Star And A New Twist In Net
October gave the Canadiens a few reasons to feel better about where theyre headed, and the biggest ones came from the familiar core and a young defenseman who kept pushing the pace. Nick Suzuki was driving the offense before injury cut into his month, while Lane Hutson continued to look like a major part of Montreals future by leading the blue line in scoring. For a team that spent the month sorting through uneven stretches, those two provided a steady reminder that the foundation is still there.
The other encouraging development came in goal, where Jacob Fowler made a strong first impression after being recalled from Laval. His arrival added a fresh layer to Montreals October story, giving the Canadiens a new look in net at a time when they needed one. The larger question now is how much of that momentum can carry forward, especially with the club still trying to turn promising individual performances into something more consistent as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Keep Winning While Demidovs Absence Keeps Getting Murkier
Ivan Demidovs absence has become one of the quieter storylines around a Canadiens team that keeps finding ways to win without him. The young forward remains on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and Montreal has not offered a recent update on where he stands, even as the calendar has moved past the original expected timeline for his return.
The uncertainty leaves the club in a familiar holding pattern: playing well, staying patient, and waiting for Demidov to work his way back into the picture. His earliest projected return is now set for Nov. 7, but for now the Canadiens are pressing on without one of their most closely watched players, and the lack of fresh information only adds to the intrigue around his recovery. [Read more 🡒]