BOSTON — Going into the season, James Hagens was projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft.
On Friday, he slipped to No. 7 where the Bruins made him their first pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Hagens, a 5-foot-11, 177-pound forward from Long Island, is coming off his freshman season at Boston College, where he had 11 goals and 26 assists on a loaded Eagles team. He was a teammate of Dean Letourneau, Boston’s 2024 first-round pick.
While he’s undersized, he has elite speed and puck skills.
Adam Sandler, wearing a Happy Gilmore Bruins jersey, announced the pick for Boston.
On Wednesday, Sweeney left open the possibility that the Bruins could trade the pick, either up and down in the draft or for an established NHL player. But in the end, they opted to make the pick.
The New York Islanders opened the draft without surprise, taking defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who has been considered the consensus No. 1 pick for months.
The Sharks picked with Michael Misa at No. 2 and the Blackhawks selected Swedish center Andon Frondell. The Mammoth kept the run on centers going with Caleb Desnoyers at No. 4.
Brady Martin, who’d been linked to the Bruins in many mock drafts, went to Nashville at No. 5. When the Flyers took winger Porter Martone at No. 6, the Bruins scooped up Hagens.
Hagens is BC’s 27th first-round draft pick in program history, second-most in NCAA history. They’ve had a player draft every year for 30 straight seasons.
The Bruins have six more picks when the draft resumes on Saturday:
Bruins remaining picks:
Round 2
51. Boston (from STL via PIT and EDM)
61. Boston (from CAR via COL)
Round 3
69. Boston
Round 4
100. Boston (from PHI via TOR)
Round 5
133. Boston
Round 6
165. Boston
