A year ago at this time, James Hagens was expected to be the apple of every team’s eye at the June 27 NHL draft.
Since then, a little bit of shine may have come off that apple. But the Boston College centerman, who finished up a good freshman season at the Heights, is still a highly coveted prospect that most teams would be the thrilled to employ one day.
While Hagens was the top-ranked player to start the season, he was surpassed in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings by a pair of Ontario Hockey League players, Erie Otter defenseman Matthew Schaefer and Saginaw Spirit center Michael Misa.
Schaefer and Misa are expected to go 1-2 and, though Hagens is ranked third, there’s a lot of debate over the slotting of the rest of the top 10 prospects like Caleb DesNoyers, Porter Martone, Jake O’Brien and Brady Martin, as well as European players like Swedish center Anton Frondell, who are ranked separately.
Several prognostications have Hagens going third to the Blackhawks. Whether that happens or not, it’s a fair bet he won’t drop any further than the Bruins at No. 7.
The shifting rankings could have been enough to unnerve a teenager as he went through his freshman college season. But in a Zoom call with reporters, Hagens stuck with a theme of gratitude for the season he had and whatever may lay ahead for him.
“Honestly, you just have to be grateful about it, being able to hear your name in those conversations and leading up to the draft now, having the opportunity to get drafted into any organization in the league,” said Hagens. “It’s something you have to be grateful for. It’s one step in the process, but you just have to be ready. Getting drafted has been my dream my whole life. That’s why I started playing hockey, that’s why I play. I’m really just grateful for everything right now. The noise will always be there. You just have to make sure you live in the moment and take it day by day.”
Hagens did not have the explosive kind of season of, say, last year’s No. 1 pick, Macklin Celebrini, who had 32-32-64 totals in 38 games for Boston University.
But the Long Island-bred Eagle was a point-per-game player (11-26-37 in 37 games) for BC. Some scouts have had questions about Hagens’ size (5-foot-11, 177 pounds) and his ability to get inside ice. On the other hand, Hagens was just 17 years old when the college season began and he did center BC’s top line with first-rounders Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perrault, who have since signed with the Capitals and Rangers, respectively. With the way college hockey is these days, it can be a physical challenge for a young player.
“I thought I had a great season. You’re playing against guys that are 25-, 24-year-olds every night. It’s tough. It’s hard hockey,” said Hagens, who has yet to decide whether to return to BC next season. “But I’m grateful to have the year I was able to have with the group of guys that we did have, those guys who were able to sign and move on and just seeing all the great things they’re doing now, being with them throughout the year was special. This year went really well, coming in right away and learning how to adapt to the pace of play and the structure of a college-level game is something that really helped me and helped my game out.”
The NHLers from whom Hagens takes a lot are players like Patrick Kane, John Tavares, Logan Cooley and Jack Hughes, players who can slow down the game and control it with their thinking. Hagens’ goal total this year suggests a pass-first mentality – and playing with Leonard and Perrault would have certainly pushed any young centerman in that direction. But Hagens contends his game is appropriately diverse.
“I love making plays. I love being able to find guys backdoor. That’s something I feel like is a big part of my game my while entire career,” said Hagens. “But I wouldn’t say I ever deflect away from shooting the puck. I know when to shoot and when to pass. It’s just something that really helps take my game to the next level, the way I’m able to find other guys. Obviously playing with Ryan and Gabe and Teddy (Stiga, Nashville’s second-rounder last year), those are guys that if you find them, they will put the puck in the back of the net. College is a different level of hockey. It’s harder. It’s not junior hockey. It’s tough to score every given night. You have to work to score goals.”
Since the season ended, Hagens has been hitting the gym to prepare for next week’s scouting combine. But while the physical testing is important, player interviews allow teams to test what’s between a player’s ears and in his heart.
“I’ll just try to explain how high my compete level is at the combine. I’m getting ready to show that, with all the tests, I love winning. I will do anything to win,” said Hagens. “It’s something that’s helped me get to the point where I am today. I’ve been able to work my whole life. Nothing’s ever come easy. I’ve had to work for everything I’ve gotten. That’s something that I’m super grateful for and it’s something that’s in my family and something I was taught by my parents and coaches. Going into those meetings, I want to impress how hard that I compete and how badly I want to be on a team that will hopefully win a Stanley Cup one day.”
While he said in a recent Newsday story that he’d love to be selected by his hometown Islanders, pretty much every mock draft has Schaefer going first to the Isles, who won the lottery. There’s no doubt Hagens wants to go as high as possible. It is how competitors are wired. But if he should fall to the Bruins at seven? Well, that would be OK, too.
“I love Boston,” said Hagens. “Obviously being at Boston College, we’re right in the middle of Boston there so … it’s a beautiful city and I only have great things to say about it. I love it there.”
And if Hagens is still there at No. 7, it’s a good bet the Bruins would have mutual feelings.
