While the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] are struggling to get out of their slump, Michael Hage and the Michigan Wolverines split the honours of their weekend series with Penn State, each team skating away with a win. With Michigan second in the standings and Penn State fifth, and with top prospect Gavin McKenna in its lineup, those were much-anticipated matchups. After spending some time playing on the wing, Habs’ prospect Hage was back at center this weekend, and in the Friday night game, he did some outstanding work. Skating between Will Horcoff and Josh Ernisse, the 6-foot-1 and 199-pound center gathered two assists in his team’s 7-1 win on top of taking two shots on net and winning 10 of the 17 faceoffs he took. Canadiens Fail To Capitalize On Power Play Galore [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-fail-to-capitalize-on-power-play-galore] Canadiens’ Lack Of Shots Is A Symptom Of Lack Of Confidence [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-lack-of-shots-is-a-symptom-of-lack-of-confidence] Canadiens: Kaiden Guhle’s Health Is A Big Worry [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-kaiden-guhle-s-health-is-a-big-worry] Penn State provided a much better effort in Saturday’s game, however, and won that one 4-2. Wonder kid McKenna could only muster an assist on an empty net goal in the game, while Hage was held off the scoresheet but took five of Michigan’s 34 shots. That duel was a struggle for the Canadiens’ prospect at the faceoff dot; he only won three of his eleven draws. After 14 games, Hage has gathered 19 points and been a massive part of the Wolverines' success. This is the second season he has spent in the NCAA, and if he keeps up his strong play, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make the jump to the pros at the end of the season. The Canadiens’ current slump and their struggles to find the back of the net highlight the fact that they could certainly use more depth up front. Now that both Alex Newhook and Patrik Laine are out of commission, Martin St-Louis has a bit of a headache to come up with four balanced lines that could contribute offensively. That being said, I doubt Hage could make the jump straight to the NHL at center, but he could be an interesting option on the wing at the end of the season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
