The Boston Bruins have to be happy with the season that top prospect James Hagens has had. He quickly became the top name of the Bruins’ prospect pool after his selection at seventh in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. In his first year at Boston College, he has not disappointed.
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While Boston College is continuing on in the Hockey East tournament following a quarterfinal victory over the University of Maine, a game which saw Hagens lead the scoring with two goals and three total points, NCAA hockey will be wrapping up within the next month. With the season he has had, insiders believe he will be signing his entry-level contract and forgoing the rest of his NCAA eligibility to join the Bruins’ organization at the conclusion of this season.
Presuming the Bruins are able to hold onto their playoff spot, Hagens could be the ideal spark to add to the team’s offense and may be a difference maker for the team.
2025-26 Season With BC (So Far)
After coming up through the US National Development Program, Hagens, a New York native, joined the BC Eagles and has put together a strong freshman season. He’s had 23 goals and 45 points in 33 games in 2025-26. He was also named to the World Juniors roster for team USA, where he had two goals and seven points in five games at the tournament. While it was overall a disappointing tournament for team USA, Hagens was praised for his playmaking abilities and was a bright spot.
Hagens has spent the season playing alongside fellow Bruins’ prospects Dean Letourneau, their 2024 first-round pick that has come into his own in his second NCAA following a disappointing first year, Andre Gasseau, Oskar Jellvik, Will Moore, and Kristian Kostadinski. While Hagens and Letourneau have been instrumental to the Eagles’ success this season, the Bruins contingent as a whole have been strong contributors.
Since the regular season ended, the accolades have been rolling in for Hagens. He won the Hockey East regular-season scoring title. He was also awarded the Three Stars Award, given to the player named a star of the game by the media the most. He was also named a First-Team All-Star and is part of the group of initial nominees for the Hobey Baker Award.
All signs are pointing to the fact that Hagens will be a one and done NCAA player, and if this is it for his college playing career, he truly made the most out of his season at BC. He’s proven himself to be a strong scorer with incredible speed and high hockey IQ, all traits that the Bruins will take full advantage of.
Joining the Bruins
The Eagles have at least another week of their season and most likely won’t make the NCAA championship tournament unless they win the Hockey East title. This means that Hagens could sign with the Bruins as early as this upcoming weekend, giving him up to 12 NHL games he could be eligible to play for. His addition can’t come soon enough as Boston attempts to inject energy into their struggling forward lines.
The Bruins have found ways to win since the Olympic break, but they haven’t gotten as much out of their forwards as they did prior to the tournament. The top line has been Viktor Arvidsson, Casey Mittelstadt, and Pavel Zacha, but outside of that one, the forwards have struggled. Hagens could inject a spark onto the ice with his speed, agility, and playmaking.
Most likely, he would take the place of Michael Eyssimont, and head coach Marco Sturm has options on where to play him in the lineup. He could slot right in on the top line with Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak, giving him an opportunity to play with the best and see what he can do. Or they could go the “kid line” route and make a third line of him, Marat Khustnutdinov, and Fraser Minten, which would shield him slightly from some of the top defensemen in the league.
Hagens could be the spark and shake up the Bruins need right now as they cling to a playoff spot and seek a return to the postseason after missing it last season. They are currently fourth place in the Atlantic Division and sitting in a Wild Card playoff spot, but right now, only one point separates a wild card spot and missing the playoffs.
To hold onto their position, the Bruins need to find some of the magic they had in January on the back of fantastic performances from young players like Minten and Khusnutdinov, and one of Pastrnak’s strongest performances of his incredible career so far. A player like Hagens could bring that spark back and help propel the team to securing their playoff spot.
Hagens Era Loading
The writing is on the wall, Hagens will likely not be returning to the NCAA next season and will be making his professional hockey debut in the near future. The 2025 seventh-overall pick is ready for the next step in his career and the Bruins should be incredibly excited with how he has developed this season.
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The anticipation of Hagens’ addition is just another sign that the Bruins have a new talented core of players coming together before our very eyes. With “older” players like Pastrnak, Geekie, and Charlie McAvoy along with the new faces, there is a lot to be excited about when it comes to the roster Boston is putting together and its potential for seasons to come.
