
With the 2024 NHL Entry Draft less than a week away, we continue to take a look at prospects who may be on LA’s radar. There has been a healthy mix of grit and skill in our previous profiles. And while the Kings could benefit from adding pieces to their blueline, our journey in this series also continues to look at a few more options up front.
We recently evaluated Sacha Boisvert as an option for Los Angeles. He had an uncommon path, opting to play in the USHL instead of playing major junior hockey, despite coming from Canada and being drafted twice to play in the QMJHL.
This time around, we’ll preview another player who made a similar decision…
Michael Hage
Vitals
Date of Birth: April 14, 2006
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 190 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Forward
2023-24 Season
Hage spent the entirety of 2023-24 playing for the USHL’s Chicago Steel. In 54 games, he had 75 points (33 G, 45 A).
Resilience
The native of Mississauga, Ontario has had a year that can’t be described as anything less than tragic. Hage’s father passed away unexpectedly in a swimming pool accident while celebrating over the Canada Day weekend. Michael and his younger brother, Alex, continued their hockey journey to uphold the memory of their father. They even showed up to the gym that Monday to work out.
Michigan Bound
Hage had an opportunity to play for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, who drafted him ninth overall. There was a lot of pressure to play major junior hockey, and the USHL-to-NCAA route wasn’t even initially on his radar. However, in December 2022, he announced his commitment to the University of Michigan on Instagram.
Combine the Tests
Hage was an attendee at the NHL Draft Combine, landing in the top-20 for several physical fitness tests:
Pro Agility – Left Time (sec): 4.29 (5th)
Pro Agility – Right Time (sec): 4.31 (t-11th)
Pull-ups Consecutive (Max #): 11 (t-17th)
Rankings by Independent Scouting Services
Ranked No. 12 by McKeen’s Hockey. “With many prospects, the term well-rounded tends to subtly mean that they don’t really have an area
where they excel. For Hage, that term fits but doesn’t tell the whole picture. Hage has few flaws in his game and seems to do all the little things right more often than not. He also shows high-end intelligence and there’s an overall dynamic element to his game. It does seem that the sky is the limit for the young forward. There could ble some questions about just how dynamic he could be, and how high the offensive ceiling is, but if the second half of his season is any indication, then that shouldn’t be anything to worry about.”
Ranked No. 29 by Future Considerations. “Hage is a highly skilled, 200-foot player who excels in transitions with strong edges and skating ability, coupled with excellent vision and hands. In the offensive zone, he attacks in various ways, boasting a powerful shot that consistently threatens goalies and outstanding playmaking IQ to locate teammates in dangerous areas. While his playmaking can be flashy and sometimes inconsistent, his vision is evident. Defensively, Hage is consistently well-positioned, effectively taking away passing and shooting lanes. His approach to the game is intentional and calculated; he reads and anticipates plays to attack more precisely. He can slow the game down, see the ice well, and make correct decisions with the puck.”
Ranked No. 40 by Hockey Prospect. “Hage uses a strong combination of puckhandling, skating, and deception to make him one of the best multi-line puck carriers in the USHL. One really unique aspect to Hage’s game is his overall window of control. He has a wide skating base, he has a fairly wide puck control window, and boasts one of the largest pass-catch windows (maybe the largest) in the U.S. region. This creates a real problem, particularly for less rangy defensemen. It makes Hage tough to pin down when he’s moving at speed. Despite perhaps below average playmaking vision, he doesn’t take a ton of heavy contact. Also, despite his propensity for multi-line puck carries, there’s a lot of waste that comes along with this. Naturally, not every rush opportunity generates a scoring chance but it’s the process in which Hage goes about attempting to convert these that raises a red flag about their scalability. In our data sample, about 50% of his zone entries were either turned over or lost (and potentially recovered) in the proceeding sequence…compared to only about 25% that resulted in him passing the puck to a teammate to extend the play. One other noteworthy piece about the data is that two-thirds of his three-line carries resulted in a turnover shortly after he crossed the line, while only about one-quarter of his one- and two-line carries suffered the same fate. Naturally, there are other circumstances that are more likely to be involved with the shorter carries as they may have been sudden change situations off of a steal or cross-ice, weakside passes from teammates, etc. that generally produce better outcomes anyhow. But the overall lack of vision and creative passing on these rushes is a concern. We see this match up with his primary assist sample as well: over one-third of his primary assists are rebound goals, but none of them have the characteristics of a pass-off-pads scenario. The scalability of a player skating down the length of the ice on the perimeter and trying to shoot to score is very low, and Hage doesn’t have the ability to be a likely exception to that.
See For Yourself
Here is video of Hage playing against the USNTDP:
Final Comments
There are a few difficult elements to evaluate the skilled forward. His rookie season in the USHL saw him sidelined for all but 19 games (13 regular season and 6 playoffs) due to a torn labrum. This year, with the tragedy of family loss, having lapses of focus for anyone – especially a 17-year-old – is expected. Consequently, when trying to evaluate aspects of his game that require attention to detail, there’s going to be more leeway by sheer virtue of reasonability. Hockey sense and decision-making will certainly be discussed and critiqued, but angles of approach or pathing will have less weight.
Consistency is often a starting point when it comes to young players. With Hage, there are some shifts in which the intensity just isn’t there. Still, as far as young players go, he more often than not looked engaged in the play. When not engaged, his feet just stop moving and he waits for the play to come to him. He doesn’t play “lazy”, as there’s certainly a solid work ethic to his game. But that’s why it stands out.
The bigger question mark is his low-panic threshold. Hage has plenty of skill to dish the puck to a teammate leading to a scoring chance. When challenged, however, he instinctively throws the puck away and loses possession rather than trying to buy himself time or make a net-neutral play, like absorbing a hit or passing to a safe area.
When Hage puts his skills together, he can be quite disruptive to the opposition. He has a strong ability to make plays. The passes can vary from subtly undetectable to directly unstoppable, suggesting he would thrive more as a playmaker than a sniper.
While not a speedster, he has a solid base and balance that doesn’t make him easy to knock off the puck at the USHL level. This gives him the confidence and ability to engage opponents physically along the boards.
Despite having plenty of good natural skills, Hage’s strongest attribute is his team play. Along with finding teammates to feed the puck, the center does an excellent job moving himself in places where he supports his teammates. He makes himself an option both on the forecheck and backcheck. This allows for a higher probability to win a board battle – even if he’s not directly involved, his teammates can be confident he’s nearby to receive the puck.
With this combination of skills, Hage is a subdued boom-or-bust type of prospect. While not possessing the high-end talents and using them consistently enough where he’d be expected to become a top-line player, Chicago’s star can still make it as a second-liner. Even if he doesn’t pan out, his willingness to support the puck in all situations would be worth trying in the bottom-six. Unfortunately, some of the natural abilities would feel wasted in that role, but he could be a safer pick than he gets credit.
Chat with David: You can find him on Twitter @Davidenkness to talk more hockey.
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Photo by Alina Nelson | Chicago Steel
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