Friday at Warrior Ice Arena, the Bruins’ prospects took to the ice for the first day of Rookie Camp. Among the group of rookies was Boston's top prospect, James Hagens.
Hagens signed jerseys and hats for young fans as he headed off the ice. He already has a lot of support from the Bruins’ fanbase, whose eyes will be on him as he attempts to earn a role with Boston out of training camp.
As Friday’s post-practice media session winded down and the Bruins’ prospects prepared to head out to Buffalo to compete in the Prospects Showcase, I caught up with Hagens as he got ready for his first NHL training camp.
He filled in some details on his offseason gains, expectations for training camp and his belief in his ability to handle playing center in the NHL. Here are some highlights from what he said. Listen to the full interview above.
Hagens said he built muscle and improved his shot this summer
Hagens, who spent a majority of his offseason in Massachusetts, said there were a few key benefits to staying in the Boston area. It allowed Bruins staff to help him implement his offseason strength and conditioning plan, train on the ice with his teammates and form closer bonds with them.
“I honestly feel like this is the best I've felt off the ice in my whole career,” Hagens said. “So being able to stay here over the summer has helped me a lot. They know so much, so it's being around the players, being around the staff, the trainers. Really, you just have to soak everything in. Everything they tell you, you can use.”
Getting stronger and improving his shot were among the top things Hagens said he focused on over the summer.
“Being able to put on more muscle, you know, you’ve got to be prepared when Zadorov or someone big leans on you. You’ve got to be able to make sure that you can hold your own,” the 5-foot-11 forward said.
Hagens believes that he currently weighs in at about 185 pounds after this summer’s workouts, which is up from the 177 that the Bruins had him listed at last season.
Hagens also wanted to improve his shot, because it takes more to beat an NHL goalie than it does to beat the college goaltenders he played against in his past two years at BC.
"Yeah [I worked on] shooting the puck,” Hagens said. “You want to be able to get your shot off. Goalies like [Mike] DiPietro and [Jeremy] Swayman, you can't really score on them unless you pick a spot. So, it's just being able to work on your shot. You want to be able to, if you have a grade-A opportunity, hopefully put it in the back of the net."
Hagens certainly showed off that shot in the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, as he scored twice in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Sabres and then scored all four Bruins goals in Monday's 4-3 overtime win. His four goals on Monday, in particular, were all snipes from the right circle, three of them on the power play.
Four for 44! pic.twitter.com/9mM2jyQEMa
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 14, 2026
Hagens on this year’s training camp ‘tryout’
Hagens has 14 days left to impress before the NHL deadline for teams to submit their initial 23-man rosters on Sept. 28. In that time, Hagens’ goal is to try to convince Bruins management and coaches that he deserves to start in Boston. He said he doesn’t think making the team is a given for him.
“No, it's a tryout. I have to earn a spot on the team,” Hagens said. “These are some of the best guys, the best players in the league. This is the NHL, so nothing's easy. And if you want to be able to make the opening night roster, you have to really show why they should put you out there.”
For 19-year-old Hagens, the Prospects Showcase provided an opportunity to get a little bit of a head start in showing his skillset before the Bruins’ shortened, four-game preseason schedule gets underway.
Fraser Minten has said that he thinks his participation in last year’s Prospect Showcase was helpful for him to knock off any remaining offseason rust and polish up before the start of what ended up being his first full NHL season. Minten used the showcase series as a springboard that propelled him from being considered a bubble roster option to being chosen to start with the big club out of camp.
Hagens is hoping to accomplish a similar feat.
Hagens says playing wing doesn’t put less pressure on him than playing center does
One question that remains is what position Hagens will find himself playing this preseason and into the year. Though throughout most of Hagens’ career he’s played center, he found himself exclusively slotted in the Bruins’ line chart as a left winger in his five-game stint with Boston at the end of last season.
When asked if he felt there is less pressure on him at wing, Hagens responded, “I wouldn't say that, honestly, no. I love playing center. I think it's amazing when you're able to come in the middle of the ice. You have a lot of options, a lot of opportunity.”
Hagens pointed out some key things he’ll have to accomplish if he wants to be an effective center at the NHL level: “Guys are really strong and they're tough on draws. So it's just making sure you can win faceoffs, and that's a one-on-one battle, and that's something that they take a lot of pride in here. And if you're playing that role, then you have to make sure that you're able to win draws.”
Hagens said he hasn’t gotten an indication on if he’ll be getting reps at both wing and center this preseason.
“Honestly, it's just showing up, seeing what spot you're playing -- whether you're center or wing -- and to go out there and play it,” Hagens said. “Today [Friday] I was at center, so if I'm playing center, then I'll be ready to go and play that role.”
At Rookie Camp and the Prospects Showcase, Hagens was primarily used as a center, but that may not indicate which position he’ll end up at once he gets mixed into the Bruins’ full training camp roster.
That said, Hagens believes he could handle both the offensive and defensive responsibilities of playing center in the NHL if given that role.
Hagens said he’s ready for the defensive responsibility of playing center in the NHL
Another integral part of an NHL center’s skillset is being able to successfully defend the middle of the ice, which can prove difficult for young players who haven't had time to adapt to defending the NHL’s stars.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm listed that learning curve as one of the reasons Hagens started out his career in Boston last year on the wing.
However, when asked if he believes he could handle the defensive responsibilities of playing center in the NHL, Hagens confidently replied, “Definitely.”
He said that his defense was something that his head coach at BC, Greg Brown, helped him improve last year.
“He preached on it the whole entire year, and especially my freshman year as well,” Hagens said. “So it's a challenge, but it's something that I'm prepared for, and I've been working towards.”
Hagens on Pastrnak’s early impact on him
One player that Hagens says he’s leaned on in his transition to the NHL is star forward David Pastrnak. Hagens described how much the entire room made him feel welcomed, including Pastrnak, who sat at the locker beside him in his time in Boston last season.
“Just watching him on the ice, it's incredible the things he does,” Hagens said. “I hope one day I could be able to do half the things he does. There's a reason why he's one of the best players in the world, and to be able to see just how genuine and how good of a guy he is off the ice, it makes you love him even more.”
Hagens continued, “Everything he does you can learn from. So it's just knowing when you're out there, making sure you're watching. If you have questions, ask him. He's always willing to answer any question you have. And you know when he's out there, you can say magic happens. So it's really cool to be able to see that live.”
Hagens on his linemates in Boston last season
When Hagens was integrated into the Bruins’ lineup in Boston last year, he spent most of his time on a line with two of the other young, fast players on the team -- Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov.
“You always have to be prepared, have your stick on the ice, because they'll find you when you're least expecting it,” Hagens said about that line. “That's why it was so fun playing with both of them. They're so quick and they're so smart with everything they do. So it was cool being able to be out there with them.”
Hagens played alongside them for five games in total with Boston, which included the final two games of the regular season and the first three matches of the Bruins’ six-game playoff series against the Sabres.
His friendship with both Minten and Khusnutdinov goes beyond their connection on the ice and this summer they’ve gotten to spend even more time together.
“I was able to get to know both of them,” Hagens said. “They're both awesome guys, they're both funny, and they're great guys to just hang out with.”
Hagens said he was actually with Minten when he got the call about his 7-year, $7.2 million AAV contract extension being finalized.
“I was with him that day,” Hagens said. “I was super happy for him. It's a lot of money. He's worked so hard. And just the time that I've been able to spend getting to know him, it’s been really special. I've been very fortunate, he's a role model for me. He's someone that's awesome to be around, and he's very deserving of everything he's gotten and accomplished.”
A line of Hagens-Minten-Khusnutdinov remains an option for the Bruins this upcoming season.
