Michael Hage opened his NCAA season with three points, and he was far from the only Canadiens prospect to make an impact on a busy Friday. Seventeen prospects were in action across the Rocket, the colleges, the CHL and Europe.
Hage Sets the Tone for Michigan
Hage scored twice and added an assist as No. 2 Michigan beat Bowling Green 7-2 in its season opener. He fired six shots, finished the night at plus-1 and created chance after chance with his playmaking. Michigan outshot Bowling Green 42-31, and goaltender Jack Ivankovic stopped 29 of 31.
The Wolverines look like a powerhouse again. A large group of players is back from last season, including Horcoff, Ivankovic and Hage himself, and the roster now adds freshman defenseman Landon DuPont, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. DuPont picked up two assists in his debut.
Hage came back to school to polish his game and chase a championship, and one night in, he is skating like a player who knows exactly why he returned.
Goals and Points Across the Board
Alexander Zharovsky scored his second goal of the season and added an assist against Sibir Novosibirsk, finishing with two points in 16:13 of ice time. He now has eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) through his first 11 KHL games.
Out west, Brayden Klimpke collected a goal and an assist against Red Deer, his fourth goal of the season. The Saskatoon forward has 10 points in just five WHL games. Tyler Deakos also found the net in the WHL against Vancouver, and Sam Harris scored in Denver’s game at Alaska Anchorage, finishing plus-2.
Between the Pipes
Yevgeni Volokhin stopped all 23 shots in a shutout of SKA-VMF Saint Petersburg in the VHL, his second of the season. He has won three of his five starts, with a 1.96 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.
In the NCAA, Alexis Cournoyer picked up his first win since joining Wisconsin over the summer, a 4-2 victory over Robert Morris. He stopped 16 of 18 shots (.889).
Rocket Drop Their Opener
The Laval Rocket lost their season opener 2-0 to the Syracuse Crunch. Read my full recap of the game here.
What’s Next
The Canadiens visit Pittsburgh tonight for their second game of the season, the Rocket host the Crunch again at home, and many more prospects are in action. You can follow every prospect all season long on HABSHQ.com.
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