(draft, double media)

LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA -- Marc Hagan, son of Texas Renegades forward Colton Hagan, has become well known around the hockey community since he began his journey to the SMJHL. He began to be noticed by scouts at the age of 13, playing Bantam Minor AAA in Dallas, TX. His style is different than his father's. Colton is known for his physical play, his ability to win puck battles, and his punishing body checks. Marc is not known for his body checks. He prefers to blow by players, leaving them struggling to catch up as he buries the puck in the back of the net. Most of all, Marc wins faceoffs, and has a much larger defensive responsibility than his father, by virtue of his position. The two have their similarities, of course. Marc has inherited his father's defensive ability, though the differences between a center and a wing are evident. He's developed a solid goal scoring ability, preferring to shoot rather than pass.

At the prospect showcase in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, Marc showed off his offensive and defensive prowess in comparison to the other prospects. He put up 27 points in 26 games, including 7 goals. He won an impressive 57.24% of his faceoffs during the playoffs, and finished +12 overall for the showcase. He showcased his ability to gain possession of the puck and keep possession of it, generating offense for his team. The only concerning note of the tournament came during the round robin, when he was ejected for instigating a fight against Sami Raanta of the Stingrays. So long as this was an outlier, there will not be much cause for concern as he begins his SMJHL career.

Coming off the Blazers' victory in the prospect showcase, Hagan prepared for the draft, which was held in the United Kingdom. He was projected by most to go somewhere in the 2-10 range, though the exact position was up in the air. Hagan ended up going off the board at 4th overall to the Montreal Militia, who were in need of a center for their future. He'll slot in well in his first season as a solid 3C option for the Militia. It will be a good chance for the youngster to gain experience before the Militia lose at least one, if not both, of their top line centers following this season.

We caught up with Hagan earlier about the showcase and draft. When asked about the Blazers fast start and subsequent slowdown, he attributed it to the lax attitude of the Blazers players. "Yeah, we really just went 8-0 against those benders on the Wranglers and, uh, we just decided to start having some fun. Before the inter conference play started, me, Esa, and Gunnar all threw a real banger of a party, so the whole team was pretty hungover the next day. Hell, I was drinking fireball on the bench when I got tossed against the Wranglers. The guys just blew, and we came out on top in the end."

Hagan also discussed the draft. "Yeah, I mean, I knew I was going to go pretty high. Centers are in high demand, and I am a real good one, so, there's that. Didn't really know where I was going to end up. I went through some really stupid interviews that felt like the scouts were reading from the same script, and only two teams contacted me. Then, as I'm showering at the hotel in Lethbridge, trying to get somewhere with a nightlife since I ain't going to friggin' England for a draft, I get a call from Anaheim and Montreal, back to back. So I'm thinking, okay, cool, maybe I'll go 2-4, nice. Anyway, I finish up, get ready, and am on my way out of the sticks to Calgary so I can enjoy my draft night, and find out that Montreal took me. I'm excited, don't get me wrong, and going 4th overall is awesome (especially to a solid team), but damn, I'm not looking forward to the weather and the annoying fuckers that live there. Especially the ones that never played above house league or junior friggin B trying to talk about how they'd do better. Friggin' benders."