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The Montreal Canadiens have just acquired their Jack Eichel, and it's huge
Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens have made a solid acquisition on offense.
There's been a lot of talk about how the Habs have yet to acquire a top-6 forward this summer (like Martin Necas or Trevor Zegras), but the reality is that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have acquired two extremely good forwards.
It wasn't done through the trade market, nor through the opening of the free agent market, but it was done through the draft.
The first is Ivan Demidov, but let's not forget the second.
Michael Hage, the next Jack Eichel of the NHL?
When experts evaluate a young player, a good way to describe the playing style of a particular prospect is to compare him to a current NHL player, a player that fans already know very well.
We are really talking about style comparisons here, not necessarily talent.
For instance, you can say a player has the playing style of Alex Ovechkin without implying he is a future 40-goal scorer in the NHL.
You can say a player has the playing style of Patrice Bergeron without suggesting he will be as dominant in crucial moments.
Now, back to Michael Hage, who was drafted 21st overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2024.
For obvious reasons, the selection of Ivan Demidov during the June 28 draft attracted all the attention, but we must not overlook the young Hage.
We are talking about a very offensively-oriented forward with incredible skating ability, who has been compared by several analysts to a certain Jack Eichel!
Moreover, Hage himself tries to model his playing style after the star forward of the Vegas Golden Knights.
«Asked about the NHL player who influences his playing style, Hage immediately cited the Vegas Golden Knights center, Jack Eichel!
«I really like Jack Eichel and how he uses his size. He is a smooth skater who is very creative. I like to deconstruct his game and benefit from it.»
«I really like Jack Eichel and how he uses his size. He is a smooth skater who is very creative. I like to deconstruct his game and benefit from it.»
We repeat, we are not saying here that Hage will score 100 points per season in the NHL like Eichel.
However, just as the Vegas Golden Knights have with Jack Eichel, the Montreal Canadiens have acquired an incredible skater and an extremely skilled offensive forward in Michael Hage.
Yes, the potential of Michael Hage is very high.
No, let's not put too much pressure on his shoulders, but let's be extremely satisfied with this selection by Kent Hughes.
Credit: TVA Sports
Michael Hage était un oiseau rare à l'école
Michael Hage était un oiseau rare à l'école
Source: GoNordiques
Repêchage: Kent Hughes et le CH auraient acquis le nouveau Jack Eichel
Repêchage: Kent Hughes et le CH auraient acquis le nouveau Jack Eichel
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 29 | 601 ANSWERS The Montreal Canadiens have just acquired their Jack Eichel, and it's huge Who do you think will be the best player for the Montreal Canadiens? | ||
| Michael Hage | 306 | 50.9 % |
| Filip Mesar | 26 | 4.3 % |
| Joshua Roy | 158 | 26.3 % |
| Owen Beck | 111 | 18.5 % |
| List of polls | ||