Michigan Wolverines head coach leans heavily on Michael Hage

Michael Hage, the Montreal Canadiens 2024 21st overall selection, has high hopes to be the next great NHL talent to come out of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey program.

Marc-Antoine Godin recently wrote an article about Hage, and in it, the Wolverines head coach spoke to the talent that he has coached. Brandon Naurato, the Wolverines' bench boss was a player, who remembers sharing the ice donning the M, alongside Max Pacioretty. Since then, however, he has coached the likes of Kyle Connor, Quinn Hughes, Matty Beniers and Owen Power.

He has also coached Luke Hughes, Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson, so it's safe to say he knows how to deal with elite talents. Naurato has also proven adept at getting the best out of his players and putting them in a good spot ahead of their professional careers. Thankfully he was set up well for the following season also, but Hage has been put in a challenging situation.

Naurato expected that the likes of Frank Nazar, Rutger McGroarty and Gavin Brindley would return to Michigan for their sophomore season, but the pair turned pro instead, This has left a hole in the Wolverines' forward core and put pressure on many of the younger guys. Hage, unsurprisingly, has been leaned on heavily for offence, when the Wolverines need a spark.

While he doesn't expect Hage to do everything and play all the big minutes, the fact of the matter is that the teams' success, offensively, goes through the hands of Hage. The 18-year-old has plenty to learn in his freshman season of college hockey, and playing centre has its additional challenges, but he has shown great maturity. Hage has scored 27 points through his first 25 college games, doing a tremendous job of showing the elite talent that he possesses.

Many of the NCAA's best clubs, and Frozen Four hopefuls are full of NHL first-round picks, playing in their second and third seasons. For the Wolverines, however, the guys the team was looking to rely on for championship success have left the NCAA. This has made Hage, and the Wolverines' path to success much more difficult, but it should be a great challenge to bring the best out of him.

I see similarities to Jack Eichel, though I feel like he plays a more intense style; driving hard to the net and constantly scanning to outwit defenders. Hage opens up lanes with deceptive puck handles and uses accurate passes to set up teammates. Hage was also compared to Mat Barzal, and his cutbacks to re-enter the zone in the second wave are similar, but Hage is a more cerebral attacker - Nathan MacKinnon-like, obviously not at that level though.

Whether it's on the first or second line is irrelevant because wherever Hage plays, he is going to make an impact. He is mature in that he knows that if he wants to be successful in the NHL, he needs to first dominate in the NCAA. I think it's fair to say that he is well on his way to becoming a dominant player, but another season with the Wolverines might be the best path for Hage.

Beck, Mailloux to participate in AHL all-star game

Owen Beck and Logan Mailloux were sent down to the Laval Rocket on Sunday night, unfortunately too late to compete in the skills competition. I think Beck would have been a surprise in the accuracy shooting, and I believe that he would have made some noise as the AHL's fastest skater. As for Mailloux, I think that he is a great candidate to challenge for the hardest shot title.

But two of Laval's brightest young talents, and high for hopefuls for the Habs will represent the Rocket on Monday night from California. I think that Beck will turn a lot of heads, and gain many new believers once fans outside of the fanbase get to watch him play. Mailloux, I think has already impressed many, and he is so talented that his future weighs on how he commits to his defensive growth.

The pair will don the Eastern Conference sweaters, with the live broadcast set to start at 9 p.m. on TSN5 and RDS.