NHL Scout Compares Michael Hage to NHL Star

The scout mentioned that, like Thomas, Hage doesn’t have an area of his game where there appears to be a glaring flaw. Both Hage and Thomas are very dynamic two-way players who love to attack up the middle of the ice when in transition, as well as score big goals. After Sunday’s overtime winning goal for Canada, that last statement about scoring big goals only speaks more true about Hage.

Despite the scout mentioning there is no glaring issue in his overall game, there may still be one area that has become a clear problem throughout the first two games of the World Juniors. While he has been an incredible player for Canada so far, Hage has just won 3 of the 20 faceoffs he has taken so far in the tournament.

Early in his NHL career, Thomas had his troubles in the faceoff dot, but he got better to the point where he now wins the majority of his draws. With that being said, there is still plenty of time for the 19-year-old Hage to get better in that area as well. It’s just clearly a big issue and likely the only thing that may get people to question whether or not Hage can be a centre at the next level. He plays and transitions the puck offensively exactly how a team would want a potential top 6 centre to play in the tournament so far, but the faceoffs are the only clear crutch to his game right now. If anything, Hage should get a personal faceoff coach to help him improve so that he can be the centre the Habs are hoping that he can one day become.

Over his collegiate career, Hage has been reverting back and forth between being a winger and a centre, but his linemate at Michigan, T.J. Hughes, has been the one taking most of the draws for his line nonetheless. The issue in this World Junior tournament could be that Hage isn’t getting enough faceoff reps with Michigan, making him raw as a centre in that aspect. However, the International rules for faceoffs are different than the NCAA and it has led to his struggles in some way.

Despite the faceoff issue, Hage is still one of Canada’s top players so far and could eventually translate into a similar type of player to Robert Thomas in the next few years. Of course, coaching by Habs faceoff consultant Marc Bureau could do the young centre wonders.

Ellis also mentioned something in his article that playing on Canada’s 2nd line behind Michael Misa is exactly what Hage needs to have success in this tournament. It will allow him to play a very solid role with less of the spotlight on him to produce. So far it has actually allowed Hage to be the top point producer alongside his linemate Gavin McKenna in the tournament for Canada, which is a great sign.

While Hage playing on Canada’s 2nd line can be very helpful, the same can be said regarding him playing behind Nick Suzuki in the near future. By playing behind a more complete centre man like Suzuki, it will allow Hage to get slightly easier matchups, which could lead to him being a better point producer than he would be if he were playing against top defensive pairings. Not to mention, that could mean he’ll get to play alongside a potential superstar like Ivan Demidov for the long-term future, which could potentially make Hage a 30-goal, 80-point scorer in the NHL someday.

Based on how he has looked in this tournament, the comparison of Hage and Thomas is looking like a realistic comparison for the Habs prospect as he continues to develop over the next couple seasons.

Do you agree with the NHL scout that Michael Hage has some similarities to Robert Thomas?