Michael Hage Lights It Up At Harvard

On Friday night, Hage got to work showcasing his playmaking abilities, contributing three assists in a 5-1 victory. His assists on the night weren’t anything flashy but just showed signs of hard work getting the puck to the right areas on the ice. So far this season, Hage has developed a lot of chemistry with Pittsburgh Penguins’ 1st Round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Will Horcoff, as he can find his linemate very seamlessly for high-danger chances.

Hage’s best assist on the night was likely his 2nd assist of the game, where he put the puck right on Horcoff’s stick in the slot. It was his only primary assist on the night. Hage also almost scored a beautiful highlight reel goal as he was falling early in the 1st period.

As good as Friday was for Hage, his performance in Saturday’s game was better thanks to his goal. He would score his goal just after he got out of the penalty box; he would grab the puck and score with a beautiful individual effort.

On his goal, he drove up the left side of the ice and cut in towards the goal, where he flipped it top corner, using his signature move that has a high success rate to give the Wolverines a 2-0 lead.

On top of his goal, he also registered two assists on Saturday night, including the game-winning goal by Horcoff on an overtime power play. Hage’s other assist came on the game’s first goal, where it was the red-hot Horcoff who got the marker.

Horcoff is also tied with Hage for the NCAA leader in points, but due to having 18 goals, he is given the higher column. Regardless, their duo is the most dangerous duo in all of college hockey, no matter how you put it.

The host of the Trust the Process Sick Podcast, Simon “the Snake” Boisvert, went to Harvard over the weekend to watch Hage and the Wolverines take on the Harvard Crimson. Boisvert believes that Hage’s passing game is his biggest strength, as he has great vision and ability to anticipate what will happen 2 or 3 seconds before it happens due to his hockey IQ. He also talked about how Hage has a great shot and is good at getting into position to get a scoring chance. Nonetheless, he still sees Hage as likely becoming a better playmaker than scorer at the NHL level.

The only criticism that Snake had for Hage is that his level of intensity sometimes is lacking, as he’s not very good at going into the corner for board battles, as he seems to rely on his teammates to get the puck along the wall. If Hage improves on his engagement, it could be the difference between being a top 9 player or a top 6 player.

Boisvert sees Hage as having a strong possibility of becoming a top 6 centre in the NHL, but it will take some work on his overall engagement. Whereas his floor is being seen as a middle-six forward. It’s not guaranteed that Hage ends up becoming a centre, but he does have the tools to make it happen.

Do you agree with Snake’s assessment that Hage has a good floor and a good ceiling, or do you see his projectables being different from a top-6 ceiling and a top-9 floor?