Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage made his debut on the international stage last night, and he showed that he doesn't suffer from stage fright with a three-point performance in Team Canada's 7-5 win over Czechia.
As is the tradition on Boxing Day, the World Junior Championships kicked off with a full slate of action on Friday. The Montreal Canadiens have five prospects taking part in the tournament this year, but only one of them lines up with Team Canada: Michael Hage.
The Canadians had a tall task on the first day of competition: they were set to face the team that eliminated them in the last two years, Czechia. The game was an entertaining affair with 12 goals scored in Canada’s 7-5 win. Although Hage was centring the team’s second line on paper, on the ice, they looked like the top line. Skating alongside projected first overall pick at the next draft, Gavin McKenna, and fifth overall pick at the 2025 draft and Nashville Predators prospect , Brady Martin, Hage was excellent in his first game for the national side.
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The 19-year-old came ready to play, collecting a secondary assist on the Canadians’ first goal scored by Martin, while McKenna got the primary assist. Just over three minutes later, the Czechs tied up the game, but it only took 37 seconds for Hage to give his team the lead back with a sharp shot from just above the faceoff circles in enemy territory. With nobody closing him down, the pivot picked his spot and didn’t miss.
Two points were not enough for the centerman, though, and in the final frame, he set up Canada’s sixth goal, with a nice backhand feed to Etan MacKenzie. Both teams battled hard and had the lead at one point or another, but at the final buzzer, it was the Canadians who were up by two thanks to an empty-netter.
In the end, Hage spent 15 minutes and 23 seconds on the ice, and he finished the game with a plus-three rating, a true testament to how complete a game he played. Not only was his line responsible for much of Canada’s offence, but they weren’t on the ice for any of the Czechs’ goals either. The promising center also took three of the four shots his line produced.
It was a fantastic international debut for the youngster, who’s also having an excellent season in the NCAA with 28 points in 20 games, well on his way to beat his rookie season’s offensive production (34 points in 33 games, which saw him win the title of freshman of the year in the Big 10).
While Canada got the win, it wasn’t a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination. They allowed the Czechs to take 33 shots on net, and goaltender Carter George had a much busier night at the office than he would have liked. Speaking to the media after the game, Hage stated that Canada would need to play better defence, a statement that is hard to dispute.
They’ll get an opportunity to do better on Saturday when they take on Latvia, a team that surprised them at last year’s tournament with a 3-2 shootout win. This time around, though, Hage and co. will be taking on another Canadiens prospect, goaltender Mikus Vecvanags. A fifth-round pick by the Habs at the 2024 draft, the Riga native was solid in pre-tournament play for his country and should play a significant role in any success they have.
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