Michael Hage & Jacob Fowler earn Hobey Baker nomination's

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the best stocked teams in the National Hockey League, and it feels like every other day one of the Habs pick is doing something impressive.

Lately, the news has been dominated by Ivan Demidov, who most in the hockey world believe to be the best player not in the NHL. His highlights speak for themselves, and with each game that passes, he appears to dominate the KHL a little bit more. Demidov has given the Habs plenty of reasons to be excited, and he isn't the only guy that fans should be excited about.

Everybody has a different ranking order of the top Canadiens prospects, so not to ruffle any feathers, this is my take. Well partially, because it includes just two prospects, but I believe they both belong firmly in the conversation for the Canadiens' top five prospects. Michael Hage has NHL number-one centre potential, and Jacob Fowler has NHL franchise goalie potential.

Unsurprisingly, Hage, a University of Michigan Wolverine, and Fowler, the starting goaltender for the Boston College Eagles earned recognition for their play with Hobey Baker Award nominations. The Hobey Baker Award is given to the top National College Athletic Association men's ice hockey player.

Hage, 18, is 21 games into his freshman season with the Wolverines, and to say he has adapted well to division 1 hockey, would be an understatement. The Mississauga, Ontario., native has 24 points (11 goals & 13 assists), and he has utilized his elite skills against the NCAA competition. Hage is dynamic with the puck, and his off-puck routes allowed him to open up countless scoring chances, many of which he capitalizes on thanks to an NHL shot.

Fowler, 20, is in his sophomore season with the Eagles, and he has a sour taste in his mouth after coming short in the NCAA finals, losing 2-0 to the University of Denver in the championship game. Fowler has a brilliant season, posting a 32-6-1 record in his freshman season, with three shutouts. The Melbourne. Florida., native has been even more impressive this year, boasting five shutouts through 20 games, with a 15-3-1 record.

I suspect that both players are, at minimum, another season away from playing with the Habs, but the Canadiens have plenty to be thankful for going forward. They are also currently rehabbing their 2023 fifth overall selection, and the Habs have two first-round picks in the 2025 draft. Hage and Fowler are making Kent Huges and Co. pretty darn happy.

Rounding out the top five

Demidov is the top dog, but after him the order of the Canadiens top five prospects is rather opinion-based. I think that Hage should be number two, just based on his profile, and his potential, but there could be an argument for a number one goaltender over him. In any event, the trio of Demidov, Hage and Fowler, in my opinion are the Habs top three prospects.

After the top three, the Habs have two defensemen, one who just resumed skating after suffering an injury during the preseason, David Reinbacher. Logan Mailloux was nominated in back-to-back seasons as the Laval Rocket representative for the AHL all-star game. Mailloux has played more hockey recently, but he has dealt with losing development time, for different reasons than Reinbacher.

At this juncture, developmentally Mailloux is ahead of Reinbacher, but Reinbacher's defensive game is more refined than Mailloux's, while he isn't as much of a risk-taker as Mailloux offensively. Either way, I think they are great fits as the fourth and fifth-best Canadiens prospects. Mailloux might challenge at Habs camp next year, but I think he needs more time to tighten up defensively, while Reinbacher will play his debut season with the Rocket next year, with perhaps a cup of tea with the team after he returns from injury.