With two picks in the book, the Montreal Canadiens front office is now set for a slew of picks in rounds two through seven in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
The Habs picked an offensive stud in Russian winger Ivan Demidov with the fifth overall pick and then selected Mississauga-born centre Michael Hage at 21.
Hage’s parents are from Montreal, and the 6’1″, 18-year-old told TSN 690 Radio’s Mitch Gallo and Jon Still that he “almost blacked out when I heard my name.”
“It’s definitely a surreal feeling being picked by the team you grew up cheering for,” he said. “It was probably the best day of my life honestly… It’s extremely special.”
Hage speaks meticulous French and fielded a flurry of questions from the French-speaking reporters in Vegas for the night.
Michael Hage, center, poses after being selected by the Montreal Canadiens during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus, The Associated Press)
His father, Alain, died in a freak swimming pool accident in July 2023.
He said on draft night that his father would be “so happy” to know that he was chosen by his hometown team. The inside of his suit jacket on draft night featured pictures of his family and hockey life with some words of wisdom from his mom: “Don’t move on, just move forward.”
“It means to move forward as if he’s watching and do what he always wanted me to do and what he believed I could do,” Hage told TSN.
As for the Habs top pick, the 18-year-old, 6’0″ St. Petersburg playmaker told TSN 690 Radio’s Mitch Gall and Jon Still that he’s happy to be a Hab.
“My hands shook and my legs shook,” he said about the moments following his name being called. “My mom was very happy.”
GM Kent Hughes and his team now have to decide what to do with the next eight late round picks.
Here are the Habs picks in Saturday’s rounds three through seven:
- Round 3 (70): Aatos Koivu, Centre from Finland
- Round 3 (78):
- Round 4: 102
- Round 5: 130, 134
- Round 6: 166
- Round 7: 210, 224
Coverage of Saturday’s draft begins on TSN 690 Radio at 11:30 a.m.
With files from TSN.