James Hagens was hoping to play on TD Garden ice again Saturday night in the Hockey East championship game. Instead, his next game here may have to wait a few days, and require a different uniform.
Hagens' sophomore season at Boston College came to an end Friday night in the Hockey East semifinals, with the Eagles losing to UConn 4-3 in overtime.
Now, all eyes turn to what Hagens does next. The seventh overall pick in the 2025 draft is expected to sign with the Boston Bruins in the next couple days, and likely make his NHL debut soon after. Of course, nothing is final until it's final.
Hagens was not made available to media after the game. BC coach Greg Brown said he would talk to Hagens in the next day or two.
“I’m sure he’s gonna think it over himself and do what seems best," Brown said.
Hagens certainly did his part to try to extend the Eagles' season, assisting on a pair of power-play goals from fellow Bruins prospect Dean Letourneau. Letourneau could also be a candidate to turn pro, although the expectation is that he'll return to BC for one more season.
On the first goal, Hagens started a tic-tac-toe passing play that ended with Letourneau burying a feed from Andre Gasseau – yet another Bruins prospect. On the second, Hagens directed the puck towards the front of the net, where Letourneau gathered it and flipped it past UConn goalie Tyler Muszelik.
Each time the Bruins connection gave BC the lead, UConn answered right back. The two teams traded goals again in the third period before Tristan Fraser won it for the Huskies 1:18 into overtime when he fired a puck towards the net that went off two different skates and in. UConn will face Merrimack in Saturday's Hockey East championship game, with each team seeking its first-ever conference title.
Hagens finished the season with 47 points (23g, 24a) in 34 games, a notable jump from his 37 points (11g, 26a) in 37 games last year. He was recently named one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. He took 34 more shots than last season, exhibiting more of a shot-first mentality after deferring too much at times last year. He improved his off-puck and defensive game. He also played more wing than center, which could give him a clearer path to immediate playing time if and when he joins the Bruins this season.
"It's good to be able to play every position," Brown said. "Because one, you just have the diversity of it. Two, when you go to your pro team, which is likely to be the Bruins at some point, if they have centers, are you going to tell them you don't play wing? No, you're going to say, 'Yeah, I can play wing.'
"For him, he played both wings. So to have that experience and be successful, that just gives him more dimensions. You want to be able to say 'yes' to any question they ask of where you can play, and he did that very well."
The Bruins have had a revolving door at third-line left wing since the Olympic break, so that would be one obvious place where Hagens could potentially slot in right away. With Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie going quiet in recent weeks, Hagens' speed, skill and playmaking could give them a needed jolt of energy.
Expectations should be tempered, of course. The jump from college hockey to the NHL is a big one. When Hagens' BC linemate, Ryan Leonard, did it last year after leading the country in goals, he mustered one point in nine regular-season games for the Washington Capitals and one point in eight playoff games. Physically, Leonard seemed as ready for the NHL as anyone, and he was a year older than Hagens is now, and yet it still took time. Leonard now has 35 points in 62 games this season in his first full NHL campaign.
Still, Hagens' addition would be an exciting one for the Bruins and their fans. They have not had an NHL debut as highly anticipated as this since at least Charlie McAvoy in the spring of 2017, and arguably since David Pastrnak in the fall of 2014. And now, after BC's loss Friday night, that debut could be imminent.