BOSTON — It wasn’t quite Tom Brady’s draft day slide to No. 199, but James Hagens has a chip on his shoulder after falling in the first round.
Projected by some to be the top pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft a year ago, Hagens wound up being selected by the Bruins at No. 7 overall. While thrilled to be in Boston, Hagens won’t soon forget the six teams that passed on him.
“I’m really glad I ended up being a Boston Bruin,” Hagens said, “and I’m really excited to prove every team that passed on me wrong. I’ll remember every kid, every team that passed on you. It’s just something that drives you, something that will push you. I’m excited to be able to show that on the ice.”
At Bruins development camp on Monday, Hagens reiterated that he was thrilled to take the ice as a Bruin despite the slide to seventh, and really enjoyed Adam Sandler announcing the pick.
“It’s a dream come true,” Hagens said. “It’s such an honor to be able to get drafted by this team, this organization, with all the people here, all the prospects and all the players. It’s a dream come true for me. It’s close to home. I’ve been in Boston for the past year. I wanted to be able to go to school in Boston.
“To be able to be picked by the Bruins, it’s something that just puts a smile on your face. And to be able to have Happy Gilmore make the pick, it was really special.”
Here’s the list of teams that passed on Hagens and their subsequent selections:
- NY Islanders, D Matthew Schaefer
- San Jose, C Michael Misa
- Chicago, C Anton Frondell
- Utah, C Caleb Desnoyers
- Nashville, RW Brady Martin
- Philadelphia, C Porter Martone
