James Hagens arrived at Bruins camp with the noise from draft night still somewhere in the background, but the 19-year-old center has quickly made the present matter more. After Boston selected him seventh overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, Hagens has played his way onto the opening-night roster and is expected to make his full NHL debut against the New York Rangers at TD Garden on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
Key takeaways
- Hagens scored six times in two games at the Buffalo Prospects Showcase, including four goals in a 4-3 Bruins prospects victory.
- The former Boston College center slipped from early No. 1 overall expectations before Boston took him with the seventh pick.
- He is projected to open the season alongside Fraser Minten, 22, and Marat Khusnutdinov, 24.
- Coach Marco Sturm has seen a more composed and confident player than the one who first visited Boston last year.
- Hagens set the Under-18 World Championship single-tournament scoring mark in 2024 with 22 points in seven games.
A draft slide turned into an opening-night chance
There was a time when Hagens appeared headed toward the top of the 2025 draft, perhaps even to the New York Islanders, the club he followed growing up. His freshman year at Boston College did not meet the enormous expectations attached to him, while Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa and Caleb Desnoyers strengthened their own cases near the top of the board.
Boston stayed patient and took Hagens at No. 7. Instead of taking the disappointment as a setback, he has treated it as motivation in the work he puts into his game, his preparation and his body.
“Everybody wants to go first,” Hagens said during camp. “But it worked out. It can drive you, but you have to stay focused on where you are. That is something my parents have always stressed to me.”
The early returns have been loud. Hagens buried all four Boston goals in the second Buffalo showcase game, a 4-3 win, after scoring twice in the opener. That production carried into a condensed preseason in which he looked at ease around NHL players rather than overwhelmed by the moment.
Sturm said the difference from last year has been evident. The coach still sees a teenager off the ice, but says Hagens now understands the club’s structure, knows the room and is playing without the same nerves. Boston intends to give him time rather than rush the process.
Hagens’ likely opening assignment is a young line with Minten and Khusnutdinov. It is a starting point, not necessarily a ceiling, for a player the Bruins hope can become a major piece of the organization’s next core. Boston has been searching for a long-term answer at No. 1 center since Patrice Bergeron retired three years ago.
The response to adversity and the skill that travels
The draft was not Hagens’ first experience with being told no. During his second season in the United States National Team Development Program, he received a three-day World Juniors tryout while being the youngest player in the group. His bid ended on the second day.
Nick Fohr, who coached Hagens with the NTDP, recalled trying to raise the forward’s spirits. Hagens had never previously failed to make a team after receiving an invitation, and the cut landed hard. The roster was loaded with players including Cutter Gauthier, Will Smith, Frank Nazar, Logan Cooley, Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault.
The weeks that followed brought uneven play through January and February, but Hagens eventually found his way through it. The breakthrough came in a 7-6 overtime loss at Dubuque, when he produced six points and had a hand in every one of his team’s goals. For Fohr, the result mattered less than the sign that Hagens had rediscovered his game.
That spring, Hagens put together a historic Under-18 World Championship. His nine goals and 13 assists in seven games gave him 22 points, surpassing Nikita Kucherov’s 13-year-old tournament scoring record.
His game has long been built around playing with his eyes up. Boston College coach Greg Brown and Fohr both point to Hagens’ ability to carry the puck while scanning the sheet, reading options and creating plays before defenders can close space.
Hagens said that habit started with advice from his father and his early coaches. Keeping his head up helps him avoid contact, but it also allows him to survey the ice before receiving a pass, while carrying the puck and after moving it. At NHL speed, he knows those reads have to happen in a hurry.
Leonard, now with the Washington Capitals after skating with Hagens at Boston College, described his former linemate as a player who wants the puck and can slow a shift down with it. Leonard also noted that Hagens has developed the judgment to recognize when a shooting lane is there instead of forcing another pass.
Brown sees traits from several former players in Hagens, while Fohr has seen flashes of Hughes and Cooley. Hagens is particularly dangerous through the neutral zone, where he can keep possession while forcing defenders to retreat. Beneath the playmaking, though, Brown sees a fierce competitive edge that can be missed because the game often looks so smooth for him.
That edge was on display last Wednesday, when David Pastrnak invited Hagens onto the ice early for extra one-timer work. The Bruins star passed and shot with the rookie, giving him a small window to learn from a player Hagens called an idol.
“For him to pull me aside in the room and ask me to get some shots up, I’m really thankful for that,” Hagens said. “Being able to pick the brain of a player like that helps. There is so much to learn from everything he does.”
Brown believes Hagens has the tools, awareness and hockey sense to become an NHL point producer, though he said it is too soon to put a number on that ceiling. Fohr’s view is simpler: Boston wanted Hagens, Hagens has a familiar city and a clear opportunity, and the player selected seventh may yet have plenty to say about who becomes the best of the 2025 class.
