Habs Hebdo: Michael Hage is on Fire Lately !

Welcome to this new edition of Habs hebdo, your weekly column on the Montreal Canadiens’ prospects. For all previous columns: Habs Hebdo Section.

I’m taking a moment before starting this week’s Habs Hebdo to remind you that TSLH Prospects has begun releasing its preliminary lists for the 2025 draft. As of this writing, the first part (ranks 32 to 16) is available in both video and audio podcast formats on the usual platforms (YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.). The full podcast has been available on Patreon for a week now. Additional episodes are also waiting for you on Patreon, with a subscription starting at $2 per month. In total, there’s over 5 hours of content on the top prospects to watch for the 2025 draft!

Michael Hage: Habs Prospect of the Week

For the second time this season in the Habs Hebdo, Michael Hage is the recipient of the Prospect of the Week title. It was quite a weekend for the Canadiens’ prospect. Indeed, the Canadiens’ 2024 first-round draft pick ends his week with a total of seven (7) points in two games. In the first game of the weekend, Hage scored 2 goals against Penn State, then came back the next day with 1 goal and 4 assists. However, in this game, which ended with a score of 10-6, also against Penn State, Hage finished with a -3 plus/minus rating.

Since all of Hage’s points came on the power play, it’s clear that his line didn’t have much success at five-on-five. There’s no need to worry, as plus/minus is an unreliable statistic for evaluating a player. That being said, let’s remember one thing: defensive deficiencies and sometimes a lack of consistency in effort are part of Michael Hage’s profile, whether we like it or not. After his seven-point performance this weekend, many see him playing in Montreal as soon as next year. I don’t share this view, and this conclusion doesn’t come directly from that -3 rating! We will certainly have the chance to revisit this when I publish my top prospects for the Canadiens before the Holidays!

Jakub Dobes Holds the Fort!

Jakub Dobes had an outstanding game against Rochester in a goalie showdown against Devon Levi. Unfortunately, Dobes allowed the game-winning goal in overtime. After the game, the Czech goalie was furious with the referees, who had disallowed a goal after 15 minutes of deliberation due to malfunctioning tablets at the bench. He certainly has some character, that Dobby!

In his second game of the week, he once again delivered the goods to give his team the win. As often mentioned on TSLH, Dobes is at his best when he faces a lot of action and is « challenged. » He ultimately allowed just three goals on 58 shots. With the Rocket playing a bit more finely tuned and flashy than usual in recent games, Dobes held the fort to keep his team in the game. He faced numerous scoring chances from dangerous areas. And he delivered.

A Recurrence in Jacob Fowler’s Play

We can’t say the same about Jacob Fowler this week. Yes, it’s exciting to see that he earned his 4th shutout of the season. However, we’re starting to notice a certain recurrence in Fowler’s performances. Once again this season, the goaltender gave up several goals in a short span during the first period. This time, it happened the day after his shutout, against Northeastern. After allowing two goals in two minutes, Jacob Fowler gave up another goal just four minutes later, putting Northeastern ahead 3-1. The game ended 4-2 in favor of the Huskies.

Raphael Lafrenière, TSLH writer, was present for both games. He explained to me that « Fowler seemed nervous in his second game of the weekend, » and the three quick goals didn’t help. His rebound control apparently wasn’t as solid as usual. As for his shutout the day before, Raphael’s comments on Fowler’s performance were: « He got a shutout, but he didn’t face many dangerous shots. The 2-3 key saves he made were solid. » A noticeable difference in performance compared to Dobes. But still, a shutout…!

FLASH NEWS

– Jared Davidson is possibly the most impressive “under-the-radar” prospect. Expectations for him are low, which may be what makes him even more impressive. He added 3 more points this week and is playing very effectively.

– A tough game for Adam Engstrom against Rochester on Wednesday as the opposing pressure seems to be becoming more demanding for him. Nevertheless, thanks to his excellent agility, he still finds a way to make solid offensive contributions.

– Are you a fan of the Laval Rocket? Visit our dedicated Rocket section, where you’ll find Jessika’s reports for October, TSLH’s writer covering the Rocket’s beat.

– Pretty quiet in Europe! Aside from Ivan Demidov with an assist, all of the Canadiens’ prospects were shut out on the scoresheet this week!

Statistics collected from November 18 to November 24 inclusive.

Goalies

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