In the end, the Boston Bruins didn’t venture far at all to make the most important pick of Don Sweeney’s tenure as general manager. Instead, they simply watched and waited as the perfect prospect for them dropped into their collective laps, and they took gifted Boston College forward James Hagens with the seventh overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft.
A year ago, this scenario would have been unthinkable as the Bruins were coming off a playoff run and Hagens was being trumpeted as a possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Hagens was a point-per-game player for the Eagles as a true 18-year-old freshman last season and posted 11 goals and 37 points along with a plus-21 rating for a loaded Boston College team that boasted a ton of offensive talent. In fact, Hagens was still a 17-year-old when the college hockey season began last year, and that really makes his accomplishments in his first college hockey season all the more impressive as one of the youngest guys in all of the NCAAs.
Hagens was dazzling with his explosive speed and playmaking ability and has been a star for the US National Team Development Program and World Juniors while wearing the Red, White and Blue over the last few years as well. The “star” potential is something not a lot of Bruins draft picks have boasted in recent years and a quality that Hagens most definitely displays when operating at his highest levels on the ice.
#NHLBruins select James Hagens 7th. I ranked him 3rd.
— Patrick Bacon (@TopDownHockey) June 28, 2025
Hagens had an "underwhelming year" this year only by the high standards he set for himself in his D-1 season. Scoring a point per game in the NCAA in his draft year is right around the mark for a 7th overall pick - good pick. pic.twitter.com/qJsHosmfgi
“That's a talk I'll have with the Bruins staff when I see them. The good thing is it's just down the street from [Boston College]. I'm glad it all worked out,” said a smiling Hagens, when asked what goes into deciding whether or not to go back to BC for his sophomore season. “I’m a player with a really good hockey IQ that likes to skate with the puck. I’m an exciting player to watch that puts my heart and soul on the line and gives his all for the team.”
While Hagens may feel like he’s ready for the NHL now, the smart bet is that he’ll go back to Boston College for one more year and dominate that level before leaving for the pro ranks. From a development standpoint, that would make the most sense, particularly when it comes to a Bruins team that isn’t going to compete for the Cup next season.
Best of all, it was a pick that not many are going to quibble with, particularly after he was selected by New Hampshire native Adam Sandler channeling his Happy Gilmore character in a new Black and Gold home jersey.
Oh, Happy day.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 28, 2025
Who we picking, Mr. Gilmore?#NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/2K62fWGruA
Certainly, there are questions about his size and some tendencies to stay on the perimeter that dropped him from being talked about as a possible No. 1 overall pick, but there is no denying the offensive skill and ability. Just as there is little doubt that the Bruins had a desperate need to upgrade their speed and skill level with legitimate high-end offensive talent, the exact type of impact player that a team should expect to receive when making their highest first-round pick in more than a decade.
Hagens wouldn’t say he was disappointed that he dropped out of the top-5 as many draftniks had predicted to go heading into the weekend and didn’t sound like somebody that had anything to prove to the teams that passed him over. Instead, Hagens simply sounded happy he was going to a place where he wanted to be for his pro career.
“I just love the city of Boston. I grew up playing in so many hockey tournaments here, so I knew the area really well. I wanted to stay on the East Coast and I ended up at BC, and now I’m a Boston Bruin,” said Hagens. “It’s tough to picture [getting taken by the B’s] before the draft, but I’m super grateful that it worked out and I’m in a good spot now.
“I wanted to be in a spot that wanted me the most, and I wanted to be in a good spot. I’m so lucky that I ended up being a Boston Bruin. It’s the best spot in the world. It’s a dream come true for me and I know my whole entire family. I’m just so excited right now.”
The #NHLBruins select James Hagens with the 7th overall pick
— Michael Sullivan (@_MikeSullivan) June 28, 2025
Hagens is smaller in stature (5’10”) but is heavy for his size (185Lbs)
One of the most skilled players in the draft scoring 37 points in 37 Games this season at BC
He tallied 102 points in 58 games w USU18 in 2024 pic.twitter.com/EQQtHrLYMP
It certainly isn’t a reason to draft a player, of course, but there are some benefits to selecting a skater that the Bruins can keep a close eye on at the Heights next season. Hagens should be “the man” for an Eagles team with Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard now in the pros, and with an Eagles supporting cast that includes fellow Bruins picks Andre Gasseau, Oskar Jellvik and Dean Letourneau all around him.
What this was not was a safety pick where the Bruins took a sure thing with a lower ceiling as they had done in the past with first-round selections like Urho Vaakanainen, Trent Frederic and Johnny Beecher. Or a pick like Letourneau or Zach Senyshyn, where they went outside conventional wisdom based on the player’s resume, his previous teams or the position that he played, and took an unnecessary gamble that clearly didn’t work out with Senyshyn while the jury still out on the 18-year-old Letourneau.
Instead, this is a consensus player that could have been taken higher based on his skill, speed and overall talent level, and certainly a player that was coveted by an Islanders organization looking to trade up in the first round and select the New York native after landing stud D-man Matthew Schaefer with their first overall pick.
There will be zero second guesses about the selection of Hagens aside from some elite level razzing from people like Mike Felger over the technical difficulties that saw Cam Neely, Don Sweeney and Marco Sturm unable to address their first-round pick amidst the awkward Zoom production that ESPN opted for during the TV broadcast of the NHL Draft.
Naturally, the Bruins have an incredibly awkward moment immediately after picking James Hagens. 😭 pic.twitter.com/s1nFriluMZ
— Savage (@SavageSports_) June 28, 2025
The good news: All of that will be forgotten in a day or two and next week is going to be about Hagens putting his hockey talent on display at a Bruins Development camp that will have the kind of star power they haven’t enjoyed in a long, long time.
