F Michael Hage - Chicago Steel, USHL (2024 Draft)
- Thread starter MMC
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The Steel have done it again (probably). Hage has signed a tender with the Steel in the USHL. He is probably a top 3-5 talent in the up-coming OHL draft - at the least in the mix with all the guys behind Misa. There's still a chance a big-time OHL program could draft him as a faller and change his mind (ie Rehkopf who tendered with Muskegon last year) but given the Steel's success with bringing in top-level Canadians, I'd say all signs point to him joining Macklin Celebrini in following in the footsteps of Fanitlli and others to the Steel program. He's already taken a college visit to Wisconsin as well.
Waterloo also just tendered Keith McInnis who was widely viewed as a top 5-8 WHL draft prospect last fall. A bit less surprising because I think his NCAA-preference was already baked into his draft status (didn't get taken to the 5th round). But still...two big gets for the USHL.
Waterloo also just tendered Keith McInnis who was widely viewed as a top 5-8 WHL draft prospect last fall. A bit less surprising because I think his NCAA-preference was already baked into his draft status (didn't get taken to the 5th round). But still...two big gets for the USHL.
Bubbles
Die Hard for Bedard 2023
William H Bonney
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I'm sure they are just as OHL teams probably hated that London always got top Americans to report. I'm not a huge fan of the USHL tender process but the question is would the USHL do anything about it and risk losing top talent that might not report otherwise.
Bubbles
Die Hard for Bedard 2023
I agree, at least there was some sort of draft structure in terms of OHL and Americans.
Seems like the Steel can just sign any Canadian from any region.
sigx15
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I think they're stuck between a rock & a hard place with it though. Teams are allowed 2 tenders per year in lieu of their 1st & 2nd round draft picks right? Isn't this the whole idea of it when they created the rule in the first place? The hope is this goes from just the Steel and more teams can do the same at the same level
You also have Boisvert from Quebec who tendered with Muskegon. Virgilio tendered with Tri City. McInnis with Waterloo. Are they hyped at the same level as the likes of Fantilli, Power, Celebrini, and Hage? No probably not, but they're all really good prospects and there seem to be more Canadians tendering every year
canuck2010
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Not a good trend for the CHL. Of course the appeal of the USHL is that the player can still play NCAA hockey. Money talks.
Drafted 10th overall by Kitchener. Don’t think he would have gone that high if they didn’t think they had a good shot at changing his mind and the Rangers are certainly one of the teams in the OHL who you wouldn’t be surprised to see do it. They flipped Rehkopf out of a USHL tender and NCAA path last year.
GermanSpitfire
EU Video Scout for McKeen’s
Update: Was declared defective by the Kitchener Rangers. Now we await a trade.
Tough for Kitchener to potentially lose a player of his caliber. Hopefully they can trade him away for picks in the future.
On the other hand I'll try manifesting a Michigan commitment similar to Fantilli and Power (who both played in the USHL with Chicago).
On the other hand I'll try manifesting a Michigan commitment similar to Fantilli and Power (who both played in the USHL with Chicago).
Coaches Coroner
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According to Rangers GM, he apparently sustained a fairly significant injury in Steel training camp and is already there or headed back to Mississauga.
GermanSpitfire
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austin63867
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Hage is on IR for Chicago. Hope it isn't too serious, I've been following Hage for a while before but forgot about him until recently.
GermanSpitfire
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The Puckhound
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Still hasn't played a game this year... poor guy. Any idea on the timetable for his return? Very talented kid it seems but definitely rough on development missing a lot of time at this age
Any idea when Hage will get back playing? Eliteprospects says his commitment to Michigan is 25/26 season. Usually high end players bound for the NCAA commit to play right after their draft season, for Hage that would be 24/25. Anything is possible but I wonder if he plans on moving his commitment up and enrolling earlier at U of M.
EP is literally the worst place to look for college enrollment dates. It’s always an educated guess with really young commits but EP literally is like just somebody randomly throwing dates up there.
Chris Heisenberg has him as fall ‘24. There’s little reason to suspect that won’t be the case unless Hage comes back and has clearly become a lesser prospect due to his injury and gets recruited over. And I think we all hope that’s not the case because he sounded like one of the cream of the crop ‘06 forwards out there.
Coaches Coroner
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Missing an entire season with injury probably set the time frame on joining the NCAA back a bit.
RinkNet has 25-26 as well.
I understand that Heisenberg has historically been reliable, but the commitment date on EP stems from an official system.
Commitment date is not the same as when they make it to campus.
EP is absolute trash for tracking when players will make it to campus.
I mean that doesn’t prove anything…
Nobody can read the future and maybe Hage will need an extra year because of this injury or maybe he simply doesn’t turn out to be as good as the early hype.
But looking at UM’s current roster, the potential pro departures and the way their current recruiting classes stack up as well as Hage’s reputation - it’s pretty logical to include him in the ‘24 arrival group until proven otherwise.
If you go off EP, some schools end up with like 40+ players on scholarship this fall because while there may be a “formula” utilized, there isn’t an actual realistic look to the shape and numbers in each class that they are predicting.
Heisenberg isn’t perfect either but he attempts to account for the build of classes better than other sources IMO.
howlman
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Come to Sudbury next season and light it up with Goyette and Musty
GermanSpitfire
EU Video Scout for McKeen’s
Hage is actually back TONIGHT!
