Brandon Hagel picked up four assists in the first period in tonight’s (Nov. 25) game against the Colorado Avalanche, which tie for the most in the opening frame in NHL history and has been achieved by only eight others in the past 40 years.
The @TBLightning had five first-period goals and Brandon Hagel assisted on four of them – tied for the most in the opening frame in NHL history and achieved by eight others in the past 40 years.#NHLStats: https://t.co/ZwZL3EyZmQ pic.twitter.com/wz9maAGQt2
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 26, 2024
Hagel was originally selected 159th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. By June 1, 2018, the Sabres could not sign him to a contract and relinquished their rights to him, allowing him to become eligible for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was subsequently invited to the Montreal Canadiens training camp on a tryout basis but began the 2018–19 season in Juniors. After recording 30 points in 19 games, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
In his third season with the Blackhawks in 2021–22, with the team well out of contention for the playoffs and having established new career marks with 21 goals and 37 points through 55 games, Chicago traded him alongside two fourth-round draft picks to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for two first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk on March 18, 2022.
In his first full season with the Lightning in 2022–23, Hagel had a breakout year, with 30 goals and 64 points in 81 games. He set new career marks in each category and ranked fourth on the team in scoring. In the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he posted one goal and five points in a six-game first-round exit to their Atlantic Division rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
