Michael Hage Makes Team Canada Training Camp

Hage is tied for 1st in the entire NCAA in points with his linemate Will Horcoff and teammate T.J. Hughes with 28 points in 20 games for the Michigan Wolverines. While Hage and Horcoff have been lighting up the lamp together as the deadliest duo in college hockey, they will be playing against one another, as Horcoff is expected to play for Team USA later this month.

https://twitter.com/BarDown/status/1950724722263543827

Hage played for Canada in the Summer Showcase during the off-season, and he clearly showed why he belongs on the Canadian team by being one of the best players during that mini-tournament. While his skill was on display, he also got to show that he can be a bit of a physical presence for Canada, which wasn’t something that we got to see much of during his first 2 years in the NCAA thus far. Nonetheless, after showing he has a physical side during the summer, it is fair to say that he can be someone who plays in a checking role for his country if needed.

Although with just how dominant he has been at the college level so far this year, Hage will likely get an offensive role during the tournament alongside some of the more skilled players like Tij Iginla. Hage thrives by playing with snipers, which is why playing with a winger like Iginla, who has 13 goals in 17 WHL games with the Kelowna Rockets so far this year, is so important. A duo of Hage and Iginla could be Canada’s version of what Michigan has with him and Horcoff. Hage could also be a good fit alongside Michael Misa, who is may be the top offensive player on this Team Canada roster currently (him or Gavin McKenna).

There is still the possibility that someone like Berkly Catton gets loaned to Team Canada for the tournament from the Seattle Kraken, which may shake up the team a little, but even at that, it shouldn’t affect Hage’s role in Canada’s top 9 forwards. Hage is also a versatile player who can play both on the wing and at centre. In Michigan, he has played mainly centre, but during the Summer Showcase, he was playing on the wing for Canada.

https://twitter.com/MikeGrinnell_/status/1987133694268617086

Now, if Hage doesn’t end up playing centre for Team Canada, that doesn’t mean he can’t be a centre in the NHL, but rather that he’d be used on the wing for either chemistry reasons or to ensure the strongest lineup possible. In reality, having him on the wing of someone like Misa would probably make a lot of sense, given that the Sharks forward is primarily a shooter, while Hage is a great playmaker who can help him get his chances.

I could see a very successful line of Iginla-Misa-Hage for Canada at the World Juniors. Who do you see as good linemates for Hage at this year’s holiday tournament?