While Montreal Canadiens’ sniper Cole Caufield was scoring the 50th goal of his career on the Bell Centre ice, prospect Michael Hage and his Michigan Wolverines were taking on the Denver Pioneers in the Frozen Four semi-final in Vegas.
In a hotly contested game, Denver came out on top with a 4-3 win in double overtime. Hage got one assist in the game, just like Sam Harris (another Canadiens prospect who plays for Denver). The defeat means Hage’s season is over, and it will be time for him to decide what he wants to do next season. Of course, he might need a bit of time to grieve after failing to reach the Frozen Four final, but given the fact that there are only three games left in the Canadiens’ season, a decision should be made rather quickly.
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It’s obvious that the Habs believe the 6-foot-1, 199 lbs center is ready to turn pro. While Kent Hughes said the decision was up to the player, the way he spoke in interviews this season leaves little doubt about what the Canadiens would like him to do.
If he does decide to make the jump to the pros, one question remains: Will he sign his ELC and join the Canadiens right away, or will the organization decide that it would be good for him to join the Laval Rocket in their playoff run? If they decide to opt for the second option, the youngster will sign his ELC to start in the 2026-27 season and sign a one-way AHL contract to join Pascal Vincent’s team, just like Jacob Fowler did last season.
This will probably be a tricky decision for the Canadiens, who are eager to see what the youngster could do in the NHL, but every game is pivotal right now as the Sainte-Flanelle is fighting for home-ice advantage in the playoffs. Is now the right time to bring someone new in? He has plenty of talent and should be a good NHL player in the future, but is he ready to dive right into the deep end? Furthermore, he suffered a lower-body injury recently and is probably not fully healthy right now.
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Seeing Martin St-Louis try different combinations for his second line in the last couple of games, it’s clear that he isn’t set on one combination yet, and the hope is that one day, Hage could be their second center, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to step into that role right away. The pivot finished his sophomore season in Michigan with 52 points in 39 games, a big improvement from the 34 points he got in 33 games as a rookie.
Chances are, Hage will be wanting to burn the first year of his ELC this season, but we’ve seen Hughes manage to have his way in the past.
Whichever path the Canadiens and Hage decide to pick, he will probably find himself playing in Laval next season. There’s a huge gap between the NCAA and the NHL level of play; it takes some getting used to. The 21st overall pick at the 2024 draft would benefit from spending some time under Vincent in Laval.
Of course, there’s also a possibility that he decides to return to Michigan for another year to try for a national title, but I would be surprised if that was the case.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
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