Michael Hage didn’t get a chance to play for Canada at the last World Junior Championship. Hage was Canada’s top scorer with four goals and one assist in four games, a performance that will certainly earn him a place on Team Canada this year. Despite his superb results, we can‘t expect him to be a cornerstone of Canada’s World Junior team.
From @markhmasters – Roster projection shows Canada is clear favourite at 2026 World Juniors: https://t.co/NOwJ9EVyNf –
TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) August 4, 2025
The good news is that Hage is part of that line-up. The worst part is that he wouldn’t even be at center on this line. What would prevent Hage from having a better position is the amount of talent that’s on this team with him. Here’s what Craig Button’s prediction would look like for the top two trios
Hage starts late against these players, because they’re all top-10 draft picks, with the exception of Gavin McKenna, who will obviously be the very first pick in the next NHL auction. Still, it would be interesting to see Hage play alongside Tij Iginla and Caleb Desnoyers on a third line. We’re talking about three players who can play center and who all have good vision of the game [content-ads] And, even if he’s only on the third line, Hage can console himself with the players left out of this list. Jett Luchanko, Cayden Lindstrom and Sacha Boisvert were all passed over by Button, even though they were drafted ahead of Hage in 2024. Hage is the only Canadiens prospect to make Craig Button’s roster. Owen Protz, who participated in the WJSS, was not named by the TSN expert, not even among the players who could possibly join the team. This line-up prediction is not official, but it’s good to see that Michael Hage could finally earn a spot with ÉCJ.
[spacer title=’Overtime’] – A first NHL contract for the first pick of the last draft.
1st pick of the 2025 draft, Matthew Schaefer, signs his entry-level, three-season contract with the Islanders!
pic.twitter.com/dSMHbv0WgG
– RDS (@RDSca) August 4, 2025
– Was he inspired by a certain Canadiens defenseman?
Matthew Schaefer will wear #⃣4⃣8⃣ Get your jersey now: https://t.co/GcsS211dOg pic.twitter.com/uDBW11qkVV
– New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) August 4, 2025
– Well done!
Quebec advances to the semi-finals of the Canadian Little League Championshiphttps://t.co/Uv7wRrwTH6–
RDS (@RDSca) August 4, 2025
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!