If you have been following 2024 NHL Draft prospects, there’s a good chance you have stumbled upon the name Michael Hage. The 18-year-old center from the Chicago Steel of the USHL (United States Hockey League) has been making noise all season with a comeback story to be admired. Hage also has the talent and the personality that has him on many radars in the first round.
I got the opportunity to catch up with Hage about his journey so far and what comes next.
Hage’s Drive to Success
Speaking on the phone from his home in Mississauga, Ontario, I noticed that Hage speaks with such ease that can only be interpreted as content, and that was an ongoing theme throughout our conversation about living in the present. But don’t get it twisted; he is anything but content regarding hockey. When speaking about what he loves about hockey, “I’d say the biggest thing is just the challenge of there always being another level to get to. I just love showing up to the rink, and I find it’s just a way to compete against other guys, and I think that’s what I play for. At the same time, obviously, everyone dreams of playing in the NHL, and I think the closer it starts to feel and starts to feel more like a possibility, the harder you want to work. I’d say the biggest reason is just coming to the rink every day, and I like to compete against other people in everything I do, and I feel like [hockey] is a way for me to do just that.”
Competition motivates him as much as his unwavering passion for the game, which you can say played a part in his comeback season with the Steel. In 2022-23, his first year with Chicago, Hage endured a torn labrum in his shoulder that limited him to 13 games out of a 62-game season. Yet, in that timeframe, he recorded 10 points. I asked him what he views his strengths as, “I think my hockey IQ being the biggest one, and I think my skating and my skill. I feel like those three things allow me to be impactful every time I go on the ice. I’m someone who wants to play the game with a lot of skill and is really creative. I feel like I put in a lot of work over the years, and I’m pretty confident in that work I put in. So, I would say my biggest strengths are my skating and my skill, and I think the way I see the game allows me to make it hard on the other team and make guys around me better.”
Related: Michael Hage – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
Hage’s voice carries humble confidence, and it shined last season. He was a force, being the fourth-best scorer in the USHL with 75 points in 54 games, which also helped propel the Steel into the Clark Cup Playoffs, where he recorded a team-leading four points in two games. You could say his game is maturing, which Steel head coach Mike Garman once described as adding “layers to his game every week.”
Hage attributed his successful season to time, becoming more comfortable as the season went on, and his linemates’ contributions. His growth on the ice also coincides with his growth off the ice. However, maturity had to come in the face of devastating circumstances.
A New Perspective Shifts Hage’s Focus
On top of his shoulder recovery, Hage suddenly lost his father, Alain, last summer. The apparent goal for Hage going into this season was to make up for lost time, but he was also going through more than what a teenager should have to endure. I asked him how his perspective of the hockey season changed after what he experienced, “I wouldn’t say just hockey season, but in life in general. The way you view little things. I think it somewhat changes your perspective on hockey and how you look at it, but at the same time, just everything that happens in life. Maybe in the past, I might have let little things derail and frustrate me a little more. I feel like now, and after everything happened, I think I look at things a little differently in the sense that I’m so much more grateful for every day and appreciative of the opportunities I had this year in Chicago and just every day in life, honestly.”
Hage continued, “I have it pretty good, and I think looking at it that way and when little bumps in the road happen, I don’t think it bothers me too much anymore in the sense of you think about it; think about how many worse things can be happening, and I feel like if you look at it that way, a lot of the times, you’ll be in a much better mood, and deal with the little things that come with hockey and life and the adversity a lot better. When you go through something that hurts as much as that did, little things that happen throughout a season, in a game, little injuries, things that are out of your control, you don’t worry about too much and are able to move on a lot quicker. Obviously, it’s not something you would wish on anybody, but it kind of makes you have to mature a little bit quicker than most.”
Something clear from our conversation is how grateful Hage is for everything. He is grateful to be in this position where the lifelong dream he has worked so hard for is close to becoming a reality, for the Steel helping him build up his skills to a higher level. For the fact he got to reunite with some friends, including having a fun experience rooming with former Steel teammate Macklin Celebrini at the NHL Combine in early June, and the busy days that came with meetings and fitness testing there. For college hockey, as he will be joining the University of Michigan next season, which he says will focus on getting physically stronger and better, while polishing the strengths of his game. Above all, he is grateful and excited to share a “really special” experience with his family at the NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, while quipping, “I think Vegas is a pretty sweet spot to have a draft.”
Hage’s NHL Future
The NHL projection for Hage is a top-six center. THW contributor Stefano Rubino compared him to a possible Jack Eichel-type. Ironically, Hage said Eichel is someone he loves to watch due to his skill and size.
Hage is known for his skill, playmaking ability, and deception, and he can play in all situations. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound player is someone the Chicago Blackhawks may strongly consider at 18th overall as added depth to play alongside Connor Bedard, and he has been projected in some mock drafts as a potential fit. He noted meeting with the Blackhawks earlier this year and at the combine, in which he described a very relaxing interview that went well.
While expressing he would be thrilled to be drafted anywhere, I still asked him how he would feel if he were drafted by the Blackhawks, “Oh, unbelievable. I think it would be a dream come true. I mean, living in Chicago and knowing how cool the city is. I have been watching a couple of games there over the course of my time in Chicago. It’s pretty electric, and playing for an Original Six team would be a dream. Obviously, they have a lot of good prospects coming up. They’re going to be a good team pretty soon, so it would be a dream for me, and I would be really happy.”
Related: Blackhawks Have Good Options With 18th Overall Draft Pick
Hage truly soaks in every moment with perseverance and perspective that takes precedence. Whichever team lands him, and it could potentially come full circle with the Blackhawks, will be getting a motivated and talented player, a tough competitor, a loyal teammate, a mature soul, and someone who will be happy to be there, no matter the outcome, and that means more to him than anything.
Oh, and a fun fact: he told me he speaks fluent French, stemming from his family’s Montreal roots, and loves to play golf in his free time. A true hockey guy.
