What experts said about Bruins first-round pick James Hagens

BOSTON — Boston College star James Hagens’ mini-slide in the NHL Draft landed him in Boston.

But leading up to the draft, national prospect experts gushed about the Bruins pick’ potential.

Here’s what national experts said about Hagens’ NHL potential.

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler

Wheeler had Hagens as his No. 3 prospect. He wrote:

“Hagens’ game is about skating and playmaking. He’s extremely breezy as a skater, making his patterns look easy out there. … He’s got high-end touch and handling and real finesse as a passer or in playing pucks into space for himself. He’s very aware of spacing and timing on the ice and does a good job hitting his spots off the puck to present an option in motion to teammates as well as finding teammates when they’re open with his vision through layers. He’s got an impressive small-area game and an even more impressive game in open ice, with an ability to take his first touch and put opposing defenders on their heels when he gets the puck.”

Flo Hockey’s Chris Peters

Peters also had him as the No. 3 overall prospect:

“One of the best overall playmakers in the draft, Hagens has elite level hockey sense and vision. He can find seams and is one of the most alert players in this draft. His ability to make plays with pace, exploit defenders and get to the interior when necessary will not be overlooked. He is 5-foot-10.5, which has some concerned and he clearly needs to tack on more muscle to be effective. But a lot of people have forgotten how good this player is and how competitive he is, too. A knock on him is lack of production in some of the biggest games of his season, aside from the World Junior gold medal game where he scored a pivotal goal. Having tracked Hagens closely for the last three years, the overwhelming body of work suggests he will be a play-driving, high-producing forward at the NHL level and teams will pass him at their peril.”

The Daily Faceoff

“Hagens was the preseason No. 1 but has fallen partly due to some of the others finding unique ways to stand out. But Hagens has been ignored too much, in a sense. He had a point-per-game freshman season at Boston College while also putting up solid numbers en route to gold at the World Juniors. Add in record-breaking numbers at the U-17 World Challenge and U-18 World Championship and he’s easy to like. Hagens is smart, plays a great two-way game and can thrive with just about anyone. He has all the makings of being a No. 1 center on many NHL teams.”

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman

“Hagens played well for Boston College this season. His production wasn’t as elite as some would have hoped after a sterling U.S. NTDP career, but he was still an important player on a great team. Hagens was also a go-to player for Team USA as they won gold at the World Juniors. He has a dynamic combination of skating and skill reminiscent of American centers like Logan Cooley and Jack Hughes. Hagens’ edge work is high-end and he’s extremely elusive in open ice. He makes a ton of difficult plays on the move and is a high-end playmaker. Hagens isn’t that big or physical, and can stay on the outside too much, but he gives a decent effort and coaches tend to lean on him. He has the potential to be a play-driving top two line center in the NHL.”

NHL’s Top Centers

While NHL Central Scouting had him as the No. 3, North American skaters, NHL.com had him as its No. 2 center.

“Hagens, whose playmaking ability and skating resemble Clayton Keller of the Utah Mammoth, was third on Boston College with 37 points. … He also tied for the United States lead with five goals in seven games to help his country win the gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. … Hagens was the fourth-youngest player in college hockey ranked fourth among NCAA Division I freshmen in points, earning a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team. In 2023-24, he led USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program Under-18 team with 63 assists, 102 points and 1.76 points per game in 58 games.”