Nicolas Hague – Mississauga Steelheads – Player Profile

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 216 pounds

Date of birth: December 5, 1998

Hometown: Kitchener, Ontario

Position: Defence

Shoots: Left

OHL Draft: Round 2, 29^th overall, 2014 OHL Priority Selection

Nicolas Hague is in his second Ontario Hockey League season after producing 14 goals and 24 points in 66 games for the Mississauga Steelheads. Through 29 games this season, Hague has surpassed his assist total from last season (15) and matched his point totals while producing .83 points per game, well ahead of his .36 points per game from a season ago.

Last season he was named the OHL Scholastic Player of the Year taking home the Bobby Smith Trophy as well as being named to the OHL Second All-Rookie Team.

Hague played his minor midget hockey for the Kitchener Jr Rangers. In 31 games, he netted 3 goals and 13 assists for the Jr Rangers. He added 4 goals and 13 assists in 18 playoff games.

Hague went on to play for the Kitchener Dutchmen of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (Junior B) for the 2014-2015 season. For the Dutchmen, Hague would score 3 goals and 11 assists in 43 games and having a very good playoff with 3 goals and 9 assists in 10 games.  He was awarded the GOJHL Midwestern Conference Rookie of the Year.

The game has changed and continues to change. Fans look towards defencemen that can move the puck and be an offensive force. Other still prefer the huge defenceman that can be a physical force defensively. When you combine the two, you have Nicolas Hague.

Hague is a two-way defender who can excel, and sometimes dominate at both ends of the ice. He is an improved and very good skater. While he lacks a good first step, he’s able to close gaps quickly. Combined with his reach, he is near impossible to beat one-on-one. He can physically dominate, sometimes with ease, separating opponents from the puck. His physical strength will only improve as he gains more bulk and muscle.

Offensively, Hague is excellent in the transition game. He can make a good first pass or can skate with the puck, although some work is needed with his stickhandling.  He possesses a howitzer of a shot. Not only is it a heavy shot, but it’s deadly accurate. He can quarterback the powerplay having scored 4 goals and 4 assists on the pp to date. He has excellent vision and a knack for reading the play. He has no hesitation in jumping up into the rush at the right time, or moving in from his point position for a scoring chance.

Hague is very smart both on and off the ice, as shown by his Bobby Smith Award. He has also shown very good leadership qualities, which goes a long way when NHL teams are looking at prospects.

I’d like to think, although we’ll never know for sure, that part of the reason the Steelheads were willing to move Sean Day to the Windsor Spitfires in what was suppose to be a very strong season for them, was the development of Nicolas Hague.

Nicolas Hague

This is the profile page of Nicolas Hague at http://www.eliteprospects.com