Habs Hebdo: Michael Hage solid from the start and a ceiling reached (?) for Yevgeni Volokhin

Once again this year, TSLH Prospects brings you a weekly report on the Montreal Canadiens’ top prospects. Welcome to the latest edition of «Habs Hebdo», your weekly column on Montreal Canadiens prospects!

For all previous chronicles: Habs Hebdo Section
French version: Hebdo CH Section

I’m very happy to return this season with the «Habs Hebdo» to cover the performances of the Canadiens’ prospects each week. We’re keeping the same format as last year, with the headlines in text form, followed by a statistical table of the prospects’ performance for the week. For this first column of the 2024-2025 season, the table will feature statistics from the beginning of the season. Which prospects have departed since the last issue of the Habs Hebdo? Cedrick Guindon, Arnaud Durandeau, Mattias Norlinder, Blake Biondi, Miguel Tourigny, Rhett Pitlick, Petteri Nurmi, and Joe Vrbetic are making way for the newcomers: Ivan Demidov, Logan Sawyer, Aatos Koivu, Ben Merrill, Rasmus Bregqvist, Michael Hage, Mikus Vecvanags, Owen Protz, Tyler Thorpe, and Makar Khanin. By the way, I also invite you to read our 2025 Draft Weeklies, a weekly column tracking the performance of the top prospects for the NHL Draft.

Michael Hage, Habs Prospect of the Week

To kick off this first edition of the Habs Hebdo, let’s first award our Prospect of the Week status to Michael Hage. The forward, chosen 21st overall in the 2024 Draft, shone in his debut with the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA. Of the six goals scored by his team over the weekend, Hage accumulated 4 points. He even scored his very first goal at the collegiate level in a way that observers at TSLH Prospects could have all predicted. Indeed, Simon St-Laurent noted in his profile last summer that Michael Hage is exceptionally good at getting the puck inside the opponent’s stick before unleashing a quick shot. It’s somewhat his specialty, and his goal over the weekend fully supports that statement.

The University of Michigan has an excellent reputation for developing prospects. Despite numerous departures in recent seasons, the Wolverines have consistently relied on a pool of new quality players. Hage will have the opportunity to play alongside veterans like Nich Moldenhauer, Tyler Duke, and Luca Fantilli, and will be joined by some offensive dynamite in Will Whitelaw and Christian Humphreys. The program has had bigger names than these, but this is good for Hage. From the moment he arrives, the Habs prospect will get plenty of opportunities and ample ice time. After a somewhat challenging season emotionally and on the ice, Hage is likely to rebound after being selected last summer by the Canadiens.

Ivan Demidov: Frustration Sets In

This scenario was predictable as soon as we knew the forward would join SKA. Ivan Demidov has been playing less and less in recent games despite some decent performances. I watched his games, and while his production of 4 points against the league’s worst team called Sochi certainly helps his stats, Demidov plays well in puck retrieval, doesn’t get in trouble defensively, and remains very creative with the puck. We can understand that the coach owes nothing to the Canadiens in terms of development, and a rookie in the NHL would possibly face the same treatment.

However, I struggle to explain how other SKA players can jump ahead of Demidov when watching the games. It’s hard to believe, but the fact that Demidov does not have a contract for next season certainly works against him. The coach seems loyal to his veterans and players under contract for the next season, and it’s the CH prospect who pays the price. We expected this; it’s frustrating, and we clearly hope for some changes in the coming weeks. No, Ivan Demidov will not be “ruined” in the KHL; he has too much talent for that. But it’s frustrating, no doubt about it.

Yevgeni Volokhin: Has He Hit a Plateau?

Yevgeni Volokhin dominated the MHL last year. This season, we expected him to play in the VHL, especially considering that Yegor Zavragin, a Flyers prospect who also played for Yugry, is now part of the SKA organization. But no. Volokhin is back in the MHL, and his two stints in the VHL this season did not go well. A Patreon member asked for a scouting report on Volokhin, so I watched his games in both the MHL and VHL.

I find that Volokhin seems to be plateauing somewhat. His game remains athletic, but he seems less engaged in battling for the puck. Numerous juicy rebounds are falling onto the opponents’ sticks, especially in the slot. Overall, he gives the impression that he finds it too easy in the MHL. And rightly so. Yugry, in the MHL, is possibly the team with the tightest system in the league. The contributions from his defensemen greatly aid Volokhin’s game. Strangely, 85% of his goals have come when his team was shorthanded. In the VHL, he seemed a bit slow in his movements, even though it’s not the fastest league. It’s not a lack of explosiveness, but rather a lack of anticipation. He has repeatedly been beaten by very average shots and doesn’t take the time to target where the non-puck carrier is. In short, this will be something to follow this season, but I feel we may have reached Volokhin’s ceiling quickly, as he likely also wanted to move up to the next level in Russia.

Joe Vrbetic’s Quiet Departure

His absence at Rocket camp did not raise any waves. There’s total indifference toward this rather obscure prospect within the organization. Joe Vrbetic was selected in the 7th round of the 2021 draft. Although he was eligible to return to junior with the powerful North Bay team for the 2022-2023 season, Vrbetic chose to jump directly to the pros in the ECHL. I initially thought this was a mistake, and his trajectory has only confirmed that. That season, he had the chance to play on a Memorial Cup-contending team, but he preferred to make bus rides to play all over North America in the struggling ECHL.

This summer, the Canadiens signed Connor Hughes and added Luke Cavallin and Hunter Jones to their AHL affiliates. In Trois-Rivières, Zach Émond is also back. Last year, Émond and Bouthillier surpassed Vrbetic in the hierarchy, and when Strauss Mann arrived in Trois-Rivières, Vrbetic was no longer playing. With good reason, too. He never really showed consistency in his performance and, in the end, he simply wasn’t effective anymore. Quietly, we learned on October 1st that he joined the Chicago Wolves for their training camp. His rights still belong to the Canadiens, but Vrbetic will play the 2024-2025 season with another organization. It’s an obvious separation that falls into total indifference from the fans.

Flash News

– Several players are still waiting to know their fate. Logan Mailloux, Emil Heineman, and Lane Hutson are still at Canadiens camp. One of them will certainly be sent down to Laval before the start of the season.

– Mikus Vecvanags has made his first strides in the BCHL. The Brooks Bandits are a very respected and dominant team in this league. Unfortunately, Vecvanags hasn’t really shone despite a win in his only start. He allowed four goals on a total of 21 shots. Nineteen-year-old goalie Johnny Hicks will receive a significant majority of the starts. Vecvanags will see very little action this season unless there’s an injury.

– Sam Harris has picked up where he left off last year. The University of Denver forward had a stellar end to the season and was one of his team’s best players in the NCAA playoffs. In two games, he scored two goals. He also made a strong impression at the Canadiens’ development camp this summer.

– Vinzenz Rohrer is playing confidently at the start of this season. His four goals in nine games place the Canadiens prospect at the top of his team for goals scored. Rohrer is in an excellent team in Zurich, and the presence of players who have played in the NHL will greatly aid his development. Indeed, he shares the locker room with Dean Kukan, Denis Malgin, Rudolfs Balcers, Yannick Weber, and Sven Andrighetto. Notably, Rohrer added 2 goals and 1 assist in the Champions League tournament.

Statistics collected from the beginning of the season up to and including October 6th.

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