The 2025 NHL Entry Draft is fast approaching and soon fans will know how the Bruins utilize the No. 7 pick.
Boston has been linked to several centers in recent mock drafts including Roger McQueen, Brady Martin and Jake O’Brien.
In The Athletic’s final mock draft, Scott Wheeler has the Bruins selecting a center — but it’s not one of the three above. Instead it’s Boston College’s James Hagens.
Here’s what Wheeler had to say about the BC product:
“Everyone I’ve talked to in the last week or so seems to think O’Brien/Martin/Hagens don’t get past the Flyers and Bruins at 6-7, and yet one of the top eight guys has to go outside the top seven. I’ve also heard the Bruins have looked into moving up. I do think it’s interesting that the Flyers and Bruins seem to like the same three guys and pick back-to-back, though, and Hagens just makes so much sense for the Bruins as that high-end piece to build around if he’s there.“
Elite Prospects calls the 5-foot-11 player a “fluid skater who is light on his edges.”
While Hagens’ numbers might not jump off the page (11 goals in 37 games in his freshman year at BC), he has offensive instincts and a poll at The Athletic had evaluators unanimously voting Hagens as the “best hands”in his entire class.
Hagens attended the NHL Combine in June and was hopeful he stood out to teams as he made his impression ahead of the draft.
“I love winning. I will do anything to win,” Hagens recently told MassLive’s Chris Mason. “Something that’s helped me get to the point where I am today is just how hard I’ve been able to work my whole life.
“Nothing has ever come easy. I’ve had to work for everything that I’ve ever gotten before. And that’s something I’m super grateful for. That’s something that’s just within my family. That’s something 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 someday.”
The Bruins need to address their center depth after struggling at the center position since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired in 2023.
They signed Elias Lindholm last offseason, but a back injury hindered him throughout the year before he found a groove in the final games. Boston then traded Charlie Coyle — who was a staple at center on the third line — to the Colorado Avalanche at the deadline.
Round 1 of the NHL Draft begins Friday at 7 p.m.
