In a recent game, Michigan lost to Ohio State 2-1. I watch these games of consequence to see how a freshman performs under pressure. Before we get into last night’s game. Let’s catch up on Michael Hage’s season. Hage has 13 goals and 19 assists in 30 games. This top-six talent is producing on a high level for a big-time team. That’s always good so let’s dig into some of his numbers. Hage is running at a 46% face-off percentage for the season, but in the game against the higher-ranked team, he was at 38%. So there’s room for improvement there and that’s why these kinds of games are important. According to InStat, he’s at 46% for puck battles. That’s good. Remember, many times he’s going up against 23-year-old players. This isn’t the OHL, the players are older and stronger. Hage is averaging 16:48 of ice time. His power play time is up to 3:12 and he doesn’t play on the penalty kill. In the loss to OSU, he did draw a penalty and that’s good. He has drawn seven penalties this season and that’s only going to get better for him. Hage is developing nicely. He’s still 18, so there should be zero talk of him doing anything but going back to Michigan for his sophomore season. After that, they can start talking about the AHL and beyond. The key is to take each step incrementally and don’t rush this kid into professional hockey until he is ready for the physical rigors that it requires.
