Michael Hage was a rare phenomenon among his friends in his youth. To be honest, he was part of a minority in the Toronto area.

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Originally from Oakville, a western suburb of the Queen City, Michael Hage has been a Canadiens fan since he was old enough to watch hockey.

“There were maybe one or two guys at school, but there aren’t too many Canadiens fans in Toronto, but that’s fine with me,” he said in French, which is very reminiscent of Mike Matheson.

Hage, who was elected in the 21st^e The Canadian, who was placed in the first round last Friday, took to the ice for the first time on Wednesday at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, accompanied by around thirty other hopefuls during the Canadian’s development camp.

A dream

The young man’s enthusiasm is not feigned, it is completely sincere, especially since he has roots in Montreal. For him, entering the CN Sports Complex was an important step.

“I’m still trying to digest everything. It’s great to be able to wear the jersey and equipment in the team colors, to be on the ice and try to improve, to see the facilities and all the staff that is there.

Photo credit: Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY

Once camp is over, he will return home and continue training to be ready to enter the doors of the University of Michigan, where he will take his first steps on skates this fall. However, there is one more thing he will do before returning to Ontario.

“I’m going to Montreal for a little while longer to visit my grandmother, my father’s mother, who couldn’t be there for the draft.”

ethics

Hage’s father Alain died last year. He was the one who introduced him to ice hockey, along with his brother Alexander. He still remembers exactly how it went.

“I must have been 4 or 5 years old, I went to free hockey with my father and my brother. We were alone on the ice, I tried to learn how to skate and brake on both sides.”

His father left him something that is very important for a professional athlete: a sense of ethics. How many athletes have not had the career they should have had for this very reason? It looks like that won’t be a problem for the 6′ 1″, 190-pound center.

“He always told me to control my work ethic. For him, it wasn’t about goals or statistics, it was always about work ethic.

Under control

On Wednesday, the junior players mainly completed three-on-three drills, and what stood out was Hage’s puck control, who is able to act powerfully at the opponent’s net.

However, he is realistic and knows that his current strength will not be enough to establish himself in the NHL.

“I need to work on my physical strength. At this level, we are playing against physically more mature men and I understand that. I need to keep working in the gym to reach the next level.”

If we rely on the player who inspires him, in a few years the fans will have a player who entertains and motivates them.

“I really like Jack Eichel and the way he uses his size, he’s a fluid skater who is very creative. I like to deconstruct his game and exploit it.

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