When it comes to perhaps moving from Chestnut Hill to Causeway Street to continue his hockey career, James Hagens has said all the right things.
I adore Boston. One month before the 2025 NHL Draft, Hagenss stated this in a media conference.We’re in the heart of Boston because we’re at Boston College. It’s a lovely city, then. I have nothing but praise for it. I adore that place.
Granted, even as Boston fell toward a top-10 pick in this draft, it has been considered improbable for the majority of the past year that Hagens will wear a spoked-B for the foreseeable future.
The Bruins are in a good position to add a talented center prospect on Friday night, as they are ranked seventh overall in the draft order.
But Hagens, the presumptive top prospect heading into the 2024–25 campaign? No shot, correct?
The change in sentiment hasn’t been long coming.
Hagens was once thought to be the 2025 Draft class’s crown jewel, but other elite players like forward Michael Misa and defenseman Matthew Schaefer have since surpassed him.
However, Hagens’ drop down the selection board might affect more than just the top two spots.
Using information from ten separate NHL scouts, TSN insider Bob McKenzie ranked Hagens as the seventh-best prospect in this class in his most recent 2025 mock draft, placing him squarely in Boston’s wheelhouse.
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has Boston picking the BC star with the No. 7 choice in his final mock draft, while McKenzie’s TSN colleague Craig Button has Hagens ranked as the eighth prospect in his final rankings.
In the past week or two, everyone I’ve spoken to appears to believe that O Brien, Martin, and Hagens can’t defeat the Flyers and Bruins at 6-7, but one of the top eight players must fall outside the top seven, Wheeler said. Additionally, I’ve heard that the Bruins have considered shifting higher.
However, I find it intriguing that the Bruins and Flyers appear to select the same three players consecutively, and Hagens just makes perfect sense for the Bruins as that premium player to develop around if he’s available.
On paper, Hagens appears to be every quality an NHL team might want in a play-driving, top-six center.
One of the best skaters in this draft class, the 18-year-old pivot is deadly in transition. Despite not having the same size as 6-foot-5 Roger McQueen or Brady Martin’s aggressive style, Hagen’s hockey IQ, hands, and puck skills make him an extremely effective playmaker in confined places.
The Long Island native is similar to slighter, extremely talented forwards like Clayton Keller or Logan Cooley, even though previous comparisons to Jack Hughes may need to be toned down.
In other words, a player who, if luck favors them, the Bruins’ squad, which is lacking in skill, would want to add to their pipeline.
While at the NHL Scouting Combine, Ryan Nadeau, the director of amateur scouting for the Boston Bruins, said of Hagens, “He was a key component of the US National Team Development Program and a driver there, and he was able to step into Boston College and play on their top line with some really good players.” observing his skating skills, his ability to attack open ice, his ability to carve out space, his exceptional skill and vision, and his exceptional driving abilities. Seeing him this year was impressive.
He’s really improved his game. Being in college and taking on that challenge helped him become stronger. He has worked extremely hard to gain muscle, even after school. After meeting James and spending some time with him, I discovered that he comes from a wonderful family.
At Boston College, he gets to play alongside his sibling. His parents both teach eighth grade. He is simply an incredibly talented young man. He has an excellent family dynamic and a younger sister who plays hockey quite well. Additionally, it’s been nice to meet him off the ice and spend some time getting to know him.
With the lack of a top-tier center prospect down the middle standing as the biggest obstacle to Boston reclaiming its position as a contender in due time, the Bruins would welcome the chance to add Hagens, if he is available at No. 7, to their system.
Hagens’ decline in recent draft estimates has not been attributed to injuries or off-the-ice issues.
Instead, Hagens’ 5-foot-11 stature and his impressive freshman performance at BC are the main points of criticism.
Hagnes finished his first season against Hockey East competition with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games, making him appear to be a vital part of a formidable Eagles team.
Perhaps the perception of how great a prospect Hagens might be has been skewed by his inability to match the video-game-like statlines of other freshman phenoms over the past ten years, such as Macklin Celebrini (64 points in 38 games), Adam Fantilli (65 points in 36 games), and Jack Eichel (71 points in 40 games).
However, considering the significant increase in difficulty that the 18-year-old Hagens was frequently facing this past season against players three to five years older than him, comparing him to other 25th selection picks like Misa (134 points in 63 games) should seem pointless.
Although Hagen’s ceiling would appear to be greater than other possible possibilities at No. 7 pick like Martin or McQueen, there are legitimate worries that his size may cause him to grow into a more proficient 2C rather than a franchise centerman.
Despite the fact that Hagens only contributed a point-per-game season as a freshman at BC, his years of effort now outline a guy who ought to be an explosive offensive player at the next level.
In 58 games with the U.S. U-18 National Development Program during the 2023–24 season, Hagens scored 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists), which was more than players like Ryan Leonard (94 points), Phil Kessel (98 points), and Matthew Tkachuk (95 points) scored during their respective U18 campaigns.
The only players in that program who, in a single season, equaled or exceeded that score? Gabe Perreault, Will Smith, Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews, Clayton Keller, Patrick Kane, and Cole Eiserman.
At the 2024 World U18 Championships, Hagens also broke the previous scoring record set by Nikita Kucherov by scoring 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in just seven games.
Despite his slight build, Hagens has a proven track record of destroying opposition defenses.
One may argue that Hagens would have lagged behind players like Schaefer and Misa if the Bruins had advanced in the selection lottery and been selected first or second overall.
But seventh overall? The Bruins shouldn’t hesitate to add a player with Hagen’s potential to their team if they are already making that much progress.
I enjoy winning. Hagens declared, “I will stop at nothing to win.” The fact that I have been able to work hard my entire life is something that has helped me get to where I am now. There is never anything simple. I am really thankful for the fact that everything I have ever had had to be earned.
That’s something that only exists in my family; it’s something I learned from my parents and coaches as I grew up. I so just really convey to those people how fiercely I compete and how much I want to be a part of a team and, perhaps, win a Stanley Cup someday.
Since 2023, Conor Ryan has worked as a staff writer for Boston.com, covering the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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