The Boston Bruins have their potential top-line center of the future.
With the seventh pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Bruins selected Boston College center James Hagens 鈥 with Adam Sandler announcing the pick for Boston:
Hagens 鈥 who was projected to be the top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft class going into the 2024-25 season 鈥 saw his stock slip on draft night.
The 5-foot-11 center appeared in 37 games for Boston College during the 2024-25 season, recording 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points, with a plus-21 rating. He ranked third among Boston skaters and fourth among NCAA freshmen in points, earning a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.
The reason for Hagens鈥 slide on Friday was two-fold 鈥 with concerns over his smaller frame and somewhat underwhelming production in his first year of college hockey.
Hagens鈥 37 points didn鈥檛 match the production generated by other selections like Michael Misa (62 goals, 134 points in 65 games in the OHL) or Jake O鈥橞rien (32 goals, 98 points in 66 games in the OHL).
But Hagens鈥 level of competition 鈥 especially in Hockey East 鈥 was far more daunting than what phenoms like Misa and Co. feasted on in the Canadian Junior ranks.
Still, scouts were likely expecting a No. 1 pick like Hagens to mimic the standout collegiate seasons orchestrated by other generational freshmen talents like Jack Eichel (71 points in 40 games), Adam Fantilli (65 points in 36 games), and Macklin Celebrini (64 points in 38 games) over the last decade.
Speaking last month, Hagens said that he was satisfied with his freshman year at Chesnut Hill.
鈥淚 thought I had a great season. You鈥檙e playing against guys that are 25, 24 years old every night. It鈥檚 tough,鈥 Hagens said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard hockey, but I鈥檓 super grateful to be able to have the year that I was able to have with the group of guys that we did have.鈥
Even if his freshman year was underwhelming to some talent evaluators, Hagens has an established track record of dicing up opposing defenses.
During the 2023-24 season, Hagens racked up 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) in 58 games with the U.S. U-18 National Development Program 鈥 a higher scoring total than submitted by the likes of Ryan Leonard (94), Phil Kessel (98 points), and Matthew Tkachuk (95 points) during their respective U18 campaigns.
The only players in that program to equal or surpass that scoring total in a single season? Patrick Kane, Cole Eiserman, Clayton Keller, Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews, Will Smith, and Gabe Perreault.
Hagens also set a new scoring record at the 2024 World U18 Championships with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in just seven games, breaking the previous record set by Nikita Kucherov.
The game tape doesn鈥檛 lie when it comes to Hagens 鈥 who is arguably the most dynamic skater and playmaker in this draft class.
鈥淚 love making plays,鈥 Hagens said of his approach on the ice last month. 鈥淚 love being able to find a guy back door, that鈥檚 something that I feel like is a big part of my game, my whole entire career. So I wouldn鈥檛 say that I ever deflect away from shooting the puck. I know when to shoot and when to pass.
鈥淛ust something that really helps take my game [to] the next level is the way I鈥檓 able to kind of find other guys. 鈥 College 鈥 it鈥檚 a different level of hockey. It鈥檚 harder. It鈥檚 not junior hockey. It鈥檚 tough to score every given night. It鈥檚 low-scoring games. You have to work to score goals.鈥
He鈥檒l likely return to the Eagles for his sophomore season, but he could potentially make the jump up to the NHL as soon as his collegiate season wraps.
鈥淚 love winning. I will do anything to win,鈥 Hagens said in May. 鈥淪omething that鈥檚 helped me get to the point where I am today is just how hard I鈥檝e been able to work my whole life. Nothing鈥檚 ever come easy. I鈥檝e had to work for everything that I鈥檝e ever gotten before, and that鈥檚 something I鈥檓 super grateful for.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that鈥檚 just within my family, something that I was raised up, taught from my parents and my coaches. So, going into those meetings just really expressing how hard I compete, and how badly I want to be on a team and hopefully win a Stanley Cup one day.鈥