“Michael Hage Commands Attention at World Junior Showcase — Canada’s Next Superstar?”

Hage, who is arguably a top 3 prospect within the Montreal Canadiens pipeline, put on a show that should help him secure a role within Canada’s 2026 World Juniors team. The fact that he proved to be one of the best players for Canada this past week shows that not even getting an invite to the team’s final selection camp, despite a very strong freshman season at the University of Michigan, seemed silly, as even last year, he likely should have had a shot at making the team. Now that he managed to score a goal in all 4 games that he played for Canada at the World Juniors Showcase, there is almost no way that Canada can leave him off the roster.   One of the most memorable moments throughout the whole tournament for Hage was definitely when he was in a scrum, mixing it up with his former Canadiens Development camp roommate, Aatos Koivu,  as previously mentioned in my article from earlier today. Another amazing moment in that game was Hage’s goal , where he completely deked around the Finland goalie to put the puck in the net.   It will be interesting to see where in the Canada lineup Hage will land, as a lot of notable names such as Michael Misa, Beckett Sennecke, and Tij Iginla did not play at the showcase. The good news is that the first two names may end up playing in the NHL, allowing a spot higher in the lineup for Hage. Another thing that will work well in Hage’s favour is that he is very versatile and can play on the wing or at centre for Canada. His coach even praised his “hard skills” for Canada during those four games he played.  

  After watching Hage’s play over the last year, one thing is clear: he could be a play driver on whatever line he plays on for  Canada. His game also seems like it will translate well at the pro level.   Many may say that Hage must play a top 6 role for Canada, but the fact that he can play an aggressive style and has a strong defensive game could mean that he is also able to play in a bottom-six role if need be. The truth is it would be unlikely he would have to be on the bottom 6, but if the guys mentioned above aren’t in the NHL and are instead on the team, there is a chance that it could happen.   This upcoming season with the Michigan Wolverines should be a big one where Hage could find his way in the Hobey Baker conversation if he improves on his 13 goals and 34 points in 33 games. The first half of the season will be telling for his place with Hockey Canada, whereas the 2nd half could also help him earn some time at the pro level. The way Hage has played since being drafted, it feels more like it’s more about when he’ll play for the Canadiens in a regular-season game, rather than if he will.   Will Hage prove that he’s ready to play at the pro level this year at Michigan?