If the Washington Capitals decide to pick a forward with the 17th pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, there will be a few possibilities available for the taking. One of those names could be Michael Hage of the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He is projected to go around when the Caps are up at the podium, and he could make a significant impact at the forward position, as the organization continues to head toward the inevitable post-Alex Ovechkin era.
Hage’s Hockey Background
Hage was born in Mississauga, Ontario on April 14, 2006. He played for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16 AAA in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) for the 2021-22 hockey season, a league that has alumni such as Connor McDavid, Paul Coffey, and Brendan Shanahan among others. In 57 games played, Hage potted 46 goals and 70 assists for 116 points in 57 games. Following his time with the Jr. Canadiens, he went to the USHL as a member of the Steel. He joined the 2022-23 squad that included the probable first overall pick in this upcoming draft in forward Macklin Celebrini. Hage played in 13 games during that first USHL campaign, potting five goals and five assists. Unfortunately, he was not able to play more games in his first campaign with the Steel due to a torn labrum. Despite not having the best circumstances, he worked hard to come back and then was able to eventually get a big opportunity with the franchise.
2023-24 was the opportunity for Hage to step his game up. Celebrini left the Steel to start playing college hockey for the Boston University Terriers. He had been their leading scorer the previous season with 86 points in 50 games (46 goals and 40 assists). With the leading scorer role vacant from the previous season, Hage stepped up and became one of the faces of the Steel. In 54 regular-season games for the Chicago club, he notched 33 goals and 42 assists for 75 points in 54 games. That was good for first on the team in points. Additionally, in the 2024 USHL Playoffs, he suited up for two games and accumulated four points (two goals and two assists) during that brief postseason run. Overall, to say that he has shown how motivated he is to become one of the next solid draft picks for a team would be an understatement. He has shown his motivation through his on-ice production and improvements in his game. One of his motivators is family, including his father.
Motivation From Family Tragedy
Hage lost his father Alain during the summer of 2023 in a swimming pool accident. As mentioned in the CBS News article by Matt Zahn titled, “Chicago Steel’s Michael Hage skating his way up the NHL draft boards,” Hage dedicated his 2023-24 hockey season to his father. Zahn’s article reads, “Then in the summer, Hage was hit with a personal tragedy when his dad passed away unexpectedly. He pressed on, dedicating this season to his father’s memory. ‘It’s what he would have wanted me to do,’ he said. ‘It’s just extra motivation for me. He always believed I would be successful. I think he pushed me as a kid. I just try to go out and make him proud every night.’”
No question that Hage is making his father proud with the work he has put in to not only get drafted later this month, but also eventually get on an NHL roster permanently. He already has developed certain strengths in his game. The Hockey Writers’ Stefano Rubino listed in his draft profile that some of his strengths are skating, puckhandling, vision, and playmaking. The Capitals are one of plenty of NHL teams who could use those traits from one of their next draft picks. They will be transitioning to a new forward core once the Ovechkin era officially comes to an end. If Hage gets selected by the Caps, he could be one of the defining contributors carrying the team on offense.
Hage’s NHL Comparison
Hage certainly has the tools in his game to potentially be an offensive leader in this sport for a team like Washington. Rubino in his draft profile points to Vegas Golden Knights star forward Jack Eichel as a comparison to what Hage could possibly become to an extent. Rubino writes, “Hage has the skill set to become an elite two-way center who can do it all on both sides of the ice. With the ability to see the ice and move the puck well, his hope to build on his size and grow his defensive game, and his character, he has the potential to become a formidable Jack-Eichel-type player. He could blossom into a second-line center who can play on both the penalty kill and the power play one day.”
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Eichel is someone who has been relied on to be effective whenever he is out there. He carries a lot of the load for both the Golden Knights currently as well as during his time with the Buffalo Sabres prior to that. Like with Hage, when looking at Eichel’s game, his strengths are puckhandling, skating, vision, and playmaking. It has made him one of the more dominant talents in the game. To this point in time, Eichel has seven seasons of at least 20 goals. This past season, he hit over 30 goals for the second time in his career (31 with Vegas and 36 with Buffalo back in 2019-20).
The Capitals have some prospects coming up in the ranks on offense. Hendrix Lapierre is someone who can potentially receive more of a role with the Caps. He also has been back and forth between D.C. and the Caps’ American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Hershey Bears. Then, there’s Ryan Leonard, who was their first-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft. He played last season for Boston College in the NCAA. During that campaign, he tallied 24 goals and 23 assists for 47 points in 29 games. There is also Ivan Miroshnichenko and Alexander Suzdalev as well. Despite this, Washington general manager Brian MacLellan and his staff should consider drafting a forward with their first-round draft choice. Even if the other prospects mentioned all become full-time members of the Caps, adding a weapon like Hage would only make them more dangerous.