Last season, Ivan Demidov was the talk of the town in Montreal. His strong 2024-25 season for SKA Saint Petersburg, which saw him put up 49 points in 65 games, not only cemented himself as a future superstar in the eyes of Les Habitants, but it also gave him an early route to the Habs' starting lineup after signing a three-year entry-level contract prior to the team's final few games of the season.
Demidov's first two NHL points, a goal and an assist tallied during his first period of NHL action, saw him become the second-youngest Habs player to score during their NHL debut and just the second to register multiple points before turning 20.
And in Montreal's first-round playoff matchup with the Washington Capitals, Demidov would continue to contribute at such a high rate. In Game 4, he would register two assists in what would eventually be a 5-2 loss for the Canadiens.
But even with Demidov making a name for himself in the Calder race by virtue of registering almost a point per game through the first half of the season, is he truly a once-in-a-while Habs prospect? Or is the next one close to making their debut?
Enter Michael Hage, one of Canada's most important players from their recent World Juniors campaign, which saw them earn bronze after a dominant victory over Finland in the third-place game. In that same tournament, Hage would put up fifteen points (two goals and three assists), which was the highest point tally of all of the players at the tournament. He also came third in shots on goal with twenty-six to his name.
At the club level, Hage has been a consistent point-scorer since joining the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA. In his debut season, Hage put up thirty-four points (thirteen goals and twenty-one assists) over the course of thirty-three games. This year, Hage is on an even more impressive pace; through the first twenty games of the season, he's put up twenty-eight points (ten goals and eighteen assists).
The same can be said about his career prior to joining the Wolverines. In his final season with the USHL's Chicago Steel, Michael Hage put up 75 points in 54 games (thirty-three goals and forty-two assists); when you do the math, he wasn't that far off from a point-and-a-half per game pace.
With Hage's offensive potential outlined, how can Montreal call him up should they want to do so prior to the end of the regular season? Before I elaborate, it's worth noting that Montreal had to wait until Demidov's 2024-25 KHL campaign with SKA Saint Petersburg concluded before being able to sign him to an entry-level deal. That ended up falling around early-April, giving Montreal a very small window to get him into the lineup before the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With Hage, there's a pretty good chance of a signing occuring around the same time as Demidov's did a year prior. The Wolverines have fourteen more games left on their schedule, with their final regular season game taking place February 27th against Minnesota. They'll then either contest the Big Ten quarterfinal on March 11th or, depending on seeding, enter the conference tournament in the semifinal on March 14th.
Montreal's final two games of the regular season are slated for April 12th against the New York Islanders and April 14th against the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Wolverines were to advance to the national title game, there would be a small chance that Montreal could get Michael Hage signed and on the roster for the April 14th game against Philadelphia.
If the Wolverines' season were to end earlier, say in the NCAA Regional Tournament - scheduled for March 27th to March 29th - then the Canadiens would have a much bigger window to get Michael Hage signed. Following the Canadiens' March 29th game against Carolina, the team plays nine more regular season games. Should the Wolverines' season conclude in the NCAA Regional, then Montreal could get him signed to an entry-level deal and ready to play ahead of either the March 31st game against Tampa Bay or the April 2nd game against the New York Rangers.
If Michigan's season concluded earlier than that, then it would be a near-certainty that Hage gets playing time in the regular season and the playoffs. Even if Michigan lost in the Big Ten quarterfinal on March 11th, Montreal would have eighteen regular season games left to find a way to slot Hage into the lineup.
While it isn't certain yet if Hage will get to make his NHL debut before the end of the 2025-26 campaign, his recent performance should at least give him an opportunity to make his debut if the timing works out. If so, Hage's situation could easily be regarded as "Ivan Demidov 2.0."