The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Michael Hage

Episode Date: January 13, 2026

Jeff Marek goes inside the University of Michigan locker room at Yost Ice Arena for an in-depth one-on-one with Michael Hage, the Montreal Canadiens’ first-round pick and one of the driving forces behind the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey being the top team in the country. Hage breaks down what makes Michigan such a tight, dominant group, why Yost was the clincher in his NCAA decision, and how the Wolverines’ mix of elite freshmen, leadership, and goaltending has created a true national title contender. He also reflects on Canada’s painful World Junior semifinal loss to Czechia, takes us inside the locker room aftermath, and offers detailed insight on linemates like Gavin McKenna and Brady Martin. Plus, Hage discusses the noise from Montreal Canadiens fans, how close he feels to the NHL, what areas of his game he’s still building, and what kind of player the Canadiens are getting when he turns pro.SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/caReach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@FNBarnBurner🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoff#MichaelHage #MichiganHockey #GoBlue #NCAAHockey #CollegeHockey #MontrealCanadiens #CanadiensProspects #TheSheet #JeffMarek #WorldJuniors #TeamCanada #HockeyInterview #NHLProspects #YostIceArena #DailyFaceoff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome once again to The Sheet and a very special edition of The Sheet. I'm Jeff Merrick. Inside the University of Michigan locker room. Michael H. I'm really excited to present this interview to you. If you didn't know who Michael Hage was before the World Junior Championships, you certainly know now. And you know now why Montreal Canadiens fans are certainly excited about this former first round draft choice. We're going to get into a lot of different topics here with Hage. We'll talk about his life here at Michigan, what the day-to-day is like for him on campus, on the rink as well, playing with these outstanding teammates, the top team in the country. But we also talk a lot about the world juniors and the disappointment that was the semifinal loss against Chequia for Team Canada.

And Hage takes us inside the room to talk about the nature of the disappointment after that semifinal loss. Also, we'll talk about the Montreal Canadiens with Michael Hage as well and how close he thinks he is to turning pro and playing with the haves. Here's Michael Hage on the sheet. Michael, I want to start off with something very specific. I was told to ask you this question, one of you teammates, whose name rhymes with T.J. Hughes. You sit in between T.J. and Josh, who's your favorite locker mate between the two of them? Um You said

Hit him with that one to start Yeah I mean I think it's close I think it's really close But I'm gonna go with TJ Just because Just because he's the captain So

I was gonna say smart political move Go with the captain That's a vet move by you Vet call Stay on his good side So I'm gonna go with TJ No that's good First of all thanks so much

For doing this This team's a wagon You know that What is the best thing about this team. Like what makes this team work? Top team in the country. What makes this thing go?

I honestly think like just how tight we are off the ice and how, you know, how many good guys we have. I don't think there's anyone in this room that has a single bad thing to say about anyone in the locker room. So I think it starts off the ice, just how tight of a group we are. And just how bad like every one of us wants to do it for each other. And that's probably the, The biggest thing that I've seen on good teams that I've been on in the past is, you know, the closer you are off the ice, you know, the better you're going to be in at the same time.

Obviously, there's a lot of talent in this room. But, yeah, it's been pretty special. I think a mix of how good the older guys have been, like, just acclimating everyone. And, I mean, our freshmen have been unbelievable. Some of our best players. So, yeah, good mix. It's been awesome. One of the things I've been asking your teammates and actually your coach, and he said the answer was yes.

to him and he's coached some really good teams. The question is, is this the best team you've ever played on? Yeah, I'd probably say so, honestly. Like, past the junior level, I would say I was on a good team like my U-16 year, but this is probably the best team I've been on, like, all around, just starting from the goalie up, just really deep squad. So I would say so, yeah. I've always felt the hallmark of a great team is having the ability to play any style of game.

Two to one game, seven four game, physical game, soft skill game, like whatever. Do you feel that you have that in this room, the ability to play any style of game? I think so. I mean, I think we have a group that's, you know, really hard to play against and at the same time can make you pay for mistakes. and, you know, we're also very good in close games just because, you know, we defend and we have Jack in that. So it's been fun to be a part of, you know, we've been tested in different situations so far this year, and I think we've responded really well. So, yeah, it's been fun to be a part of.

Why Michigan for you? And was it always going to be Michigan? I mean, I think I honestly didn't know at first. And after talking to NAR, I just felt like I had the most trust. in this coaching staff and seeing what they had done with just other good players that had come through this program. And it wasn't too hard of a decision at the same time. Like there was other good programs. But once I got the chance to watch a game at Yost.

Was that the clincher? Yeah, I was. Honestly, like, when I was, like, kind of in between, like, there's so many good programs. Like, I think it just came down to the coaching staff. And, like, when I watched a game here, it was like, there's nothing like this. So when you watch NHL games now, are you following, like, do you find yourself like gravitating towards the Michigan guys? Like, oh, there's Adam Fantilia. Frankie Nazar, like, do you find yourself gravitating towards the Michigan guys?

Yeah, I mean, I'm sure, like, when you watch games, those alumni come back here and you start to build relationships with those guys. So anytime we get to watch them on TV, it's cool to, like, see, like, your friends and having success in the NHL. So for sure, like when you're watching hockey, you want to watch the guys you know. Yeah. How aware are you about the conversation about you on Montreal Canadian social media? I mean, I would say like I'm aware. My mom keeps me in the loop, but she follows it. Yeah, she follows it for sure.

And it's hard to like not hear it. It's pretty passionate. You know, like, how excited they are about you, right? And the world juniors like even took it to a whole different level too. Yeah. I mean, I feel like I feel like, understand, you know, how passionate that fan base is. And, yeah, it's exciting.

Speaking of Roald Juniors. Drops it off to Mark. Back to Hage with some room. Shoot scores. Kind of slap pass it back in. Winters McKenna. Looks back a chance. Hage, overtime winner.

Not the outcome that Canada wanted. I get that. A lot of things happened along the way. I want to ask about a couple of your teammates, linemates, specifically, Gavin McKenna, but first Brady Martin. Yeah. So, like, such a unique player. Right? Like once upon a time, like there were like five or six Brady Martins on every team Canada.

And now there's there's one. And he really does stand out. What did you know about him before? And what did you learn about him playing with him? Yeah. I mean, I knew he was a good player for sure. But I like didn't really know too much about his game. I knew he's a pretty funny guy. And just like getting to see it and getting to play with it. I, uh, you just quickly realize like he's like kind of an old. old school hockey player like just plays so hard but at the same time like kind of uses this long stick and um has like really deceptive like skill and um i realized pretty quickly how smart he was just like the plays he make and i mean he's got a hell of a shot so um it was a blast

playing with him and you know just getting to know him off the ice too is so fun um he's a pretty unique person the way he uh he goes about his business so um um It was fun watching that and just seeing the success he had as well. Farm boy strong too, right? Like how often did you get a chance to see just like, you know, here's a guy who, you know, he, like you mentioned, like old school. Like he developed his strength on the farm the way like Gordy Howe and Bobby Hall did. And you get to share a room and share ice with that. How often did you see the farm boy strength come out?

Yeah, I mean, I see it quite often. Like he doesn't like, I feel like you look at him and you wouldn't think he's like. like crazy strong like you've seen guys that are bigger but he like blows guys up and like one of the hardest shots I've ever seen honestly like once you see it in person and um you realize pretty quickly why he scores so many goals but um yeah he's strong and I mean just him talking about the farm and kind of loves it talking about like what it's like um it's definitely different it's different than you know what Toronto's like growing up so um yeah it's crazy I mean different for everyone.

Thought or two on Gavin McKenna as well. Like the way, his ability to find players is remarkable. Played with him? What are your thoughts? Your scouts had on. Yeah. I mean, what he does with the puck, not very many people could do. And, you know, there's definitely, I feel like times in every game when, you know,

you wish a guy would have made a pass here or there and you wish a guy would have see you like he always sees you. and he always makes the right play. So it was fun to play with. Like, there's obviously stuff that, you know, every guy needs to work on as a young player. Like, he's 18 years old. And I think people sometimes forget that, like off the puck.

But that's easy to teach and easy to pick up. But, like, not very many people can, you know, teach what he does with the puck and the way he handles it and the plays he makes. So it was easy to play with. Yeah, he's an easy guy to communicate too, which was really. fun. Always like being on the ice with Zane Perak. Yeah, it's funny. He's, uh, he's one of the most,

like, electric players I've ever got to, you know, watch in person. Um, I mean, I've seen it since I was like 13, 14 years old and how much better he's gotten has been fun to watch. But, um, yeah, he's funny. He's outgoing, like, just enjoys it. He enjoys it. I think he had a ton of fun being back there with, you know, a lot of guys that he grew up with. So, um, fun, fun to have them. monitor on your side. You had a tremendous tournament yourself. Like personally, I mentioned, you know, Montreal Canadiens, Twitter, Montreal Canadians, social media going crazy.

Yeah, look what we got. Look what we got. But like you had a great tournament. The thing about the tournament is, though, from a team's point of view, we've seen it with team after team, when the ball starts to go down the hill the wrong way, it's really tough to get it back. And we saw that in the game against

Czechia, specifically in the third period. I'm sure you've thought about it since. What's your thoughts on what happened at the World Juniors in Minneapolis, St. Paul? Yeah, it's hard. I mean, there's definitely a lot of moments that I feel like myself and other guys on that team want back. I mean, we had gotten into the third period. You know, they had scored late in the period.

We tied it. Like, we're so fired up. Then, like, just breakdowns defensively. They scored right after. And Kovie made so many. any saves for us keeping us in it. And then Martone tied it up. And it was like, all right, like, it's going to go to overtime.

Like, you just need to survive another minute. And it's hard, just like a defensive breakdown that can't happen. And I mean, we understand it here. But like in games, there are one game knockout. Like, you just can't make mistakes. And it costs you. And there's no time to make up those mistakes sometimes. So, yeah, it was unfortunate.

But, like, it's hard. Like, it's something you think about for sure. And it's just a missed opportunity. What was the, what was the room like after? Like, I would imagine, like, a lot of you guys would, like, stunned. Maybe some guys angry. Like, what was, what was the room like after? It just sucked.

Like, guys are just disappointed. It felt like we had the team to do it. But, you know, you see it all the time in different situations. Even in Best of Seven series, like, sometimes, like, you get, at a bounce that goes the wrong way and it, um, it costs you like, especially when it's one game and you don't have a chance to redeem yourself, right? So, um, I mean, a lot of credit goes to that other team. Like, they're a good team. So, um, they play hard. Checkia plays hard. They do play hard. Like, they're physical. Um, yeah, they did a good job. They made it hard on us. And, um,

yeah, I mean, we're in a game. So we're, uh, we'll last junior question. We'll, we'll get back to Michigan. Who impressed you? Like, were there individual players that really impressed you that you may be, I mean, a lot of people are talking now about Yvars Stenberg, is one. But was there other players that maybe you'd never played against or you have played before when they've taken a step in their careers? Like, was there anyone that you looked at and you went like, okay, this guy's

taken a step? I'm trying to think. I mean, like, we only played Sweden in the pre-tournament. I thought Frondell was, like, really good. just like a big, big guy. Like, I didn't realize how big he was. And the way he protects the puck was pretty impressive. Stenberg is obviously a good player.

I only saw him one game that he played. Vigo Bjork was good. Yeah, he's good. I didn't realize how young he was. And, yeah, it's impressive, man. These guys are getting so good, so young now. So it's pretty cool. All right.

Speaking of impressive, Michigan top team in the country. why. How have you done it? Going into the season, we're all saying, they're a good team, but a little bit young. Yeah, I mean, it starts with their coaching staff, like the pieces they've brought in this year. Our freshmen have been, you know, like,

just super mature in the way they've played. They've been big pieces in a lot of the time, like when you bring in 12 or 13 new guys, whatever it was, like people think you're going to struggle because it's a different level. But, yeah, they've adjusted great. I mean, the coaching staff has done a great job, just putting a plan in place.

And, I mean, we have Jack back there as well, which, you know, you're in every single game. And the upperclassmen have also been unbelievable. Like, so many guys have just stepped up their game this year. So just the culture around here. Like, this is why you come to Michigan, you expect to be, you know, the best team of the country. So, yeah, it's been fun so far.

What's a normal day like for you here at Michigan? Usually wake up, go to class. We have classes in the morning, one or two classes, and then go grab some breakfast at the hen, stray hand, good spot. What's your go-to? I'm a build-your-own scrambler, guys, so I just get ham, cheddar, cheese, avocado.

Gotcha. Good order. And then, yeah, after that, come to the ring, depending on how much time you have. And we'll usually probably two or three times a week. have have workout so um get here at around 12 one hang out go to workout and come back practice at around three and then dinner's usually at the rink and then head home hang out with the boys uh how often are uh other players asking you about michigan yeah i think a lot like especially

a lot of my buddies back home like people are pretty interested to see what it's like and um yeah people kind of just wonder uh like what it's like to be a michigan wolverine but yeah. Do you feel, let me phrase it this way, how close do you think you are to the NHL? Go back to the Montreal question about, you know, Montreal Canadiens fans, you know, drooling over you joining them maybe as early as at the end of the season?

Yeah, I mean, that's kind of... Think of that close? I mean, it's a hard question to, like, answer. Like, you just don't know. I feel like, yeah, I mean, I'm confident in my game, I don't think it's too far away, but I think there's still a lot of areas that I have to continue to work on to be effective once I step to that level, because obviously it's such a huge jump.

And every guy on your team on every other team is pretty much established themselves as like full-time guys. So yeah, I think close, but still a lot of room to get better. like always. What do you need to work on? I think just continued to work on my body and just my play off the puck. I think that's the biggest thing.

You realize how strong guys are and how good guys are off the puck in puck battles. So yeah, I mean, just continue to work with NAR on that stuff. Do you watch Montreal Canaan's games much? Yep. You get a chance? Yeah, try to. What do you think?

They're fun to watch. I mean, it's, it's pretty cool how how well they've done this year, especially being so young. But yeah, they're a fun team to watch. Like,

just young, they snap it around pretty good. You know, and they get going, man. Yeah. I'm a, I'm a big Suzuki guy.

It's, it's like impossible not to be a big Suzuki fan. Do you have a favorite future teammate on Montreal? Yeah, I mean, he's like a great guy to watch as a center. I think Demadov also like just watching on TV. How dynamic.

Like he is, um, he's a hard guy not to like. So yeah, probably those two. I mean, Cawfield, there's so many guys on that team.

Keep going. I know. Just keep out of Lain. Yeah. And I keep going. Just keep adding up. They're, uh,

yeah, they're fun to watch. Uh, they really are. Um, when you do get there, what is, in your own words,

what is Montreal getting? Um, I think just a guy that could, um, you know, step into, to, to any role and just be dynamic and make guys around, you know, me better and just try to

be someone that could kind of play with anyone, just smart player. Yeah, just a threat out there. Yeah, I was, I was asking TJ this. As I said, TJ Hughes's faceoff percentage that I want to say he's like around 60. And he doesn't have anyone that he works with specifically on draws. He's just, he's just good. Do you have anyone that you work on, work with? On faceoffs?

Kind of just like the guys on our team, RAS, kind of helps us with that stuff, just going into it, having a plan. But no, it's something that I feel like you just need reps at and kind of comes with time and experience. Personal goals, team goals, remainder of the year. I mean, team goal, obviously, to win a national championship, win a big 10 title. I mean, national championship, it's been a really long time. for Michigan and I feel like we have the team that can do it. So that would be something that would be like unbelievably special.

And then individual, I mean, I just want to keep getting better and keep trying to help us win. You know, keep create offense and be a guy that can play in all situations for us. And yeah, as long as I'm helping us win. So far so good. Good luck the rest of the way. Thank you.