With the Stanley Cup playoffs all locked up, the runway was cleared for 19-year-old James Hagens to make his NHL debut for the Boston Bruins.
It was the most anticipated debut for a Bruins rookie since an 18-year-old Tyler Seguin first suited up for the Black and Gold over 15 years ago and arrived after Hagens spent a few weeks getting his feet wet with pro hockey down in Providence.
It turned out to be a solid opening night for the No. 7 overall pick in last summer’s NHL Draft, where he became the youngest Bruins player in franchise history to pick up a point in his first NHL game in an eventual 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Sunday night.
Hagens played left wing on a B’s “kid line” with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov and the speed and skill turned into a second period score where the former Boston College standout tied up the puck on a forecheck in the corner, and then kicked the puck out to Sean Kuraly, who fed Henri Jokiharju for a scoring shot from the point as he moved closer to the circle.
James Hagens gets in on the forecheck and picks up his first point in his first NHL game! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/fzqxBH2dGn
— NHL (@NHL) April 12, 2026
It wasn’t a highlight reel play by any means, but it was exactly the kind of smart, confident, detailed execution in the offensive zone that could potentially help the Bruins generate more offense in the postseason.
“Just trying to get hard on the forecheck, finish a hit and make sure to stall the guy,” said Hagens. “I heard somebody talking in my ear, so I just kicked it over to him.”
The play showed the requisite board work that Hagens will need to engage in if he wants a regular lineup spot in the playoffs and highlighted the high hockey IQ that the youngster brings to the ice. Hagens finished with four shot attempts in 13:08 of ice time, took a hooking penalty in the first period and showed some very good instincts kick-starting breakouts with passes off the side wall.
Hagens also managed to snap off one crisp one-timer scoring chance in the second period that seemed to loosen him in a game where he definitely got better as things went along.
All in all it was a solid debut and it allows the B’s to build some trust with the speedy, skilled youngster and give him more looks in the immediate future, but remaining consistent and as solid as he was on Sunday will be a challenge for a youngster – even a talented and skilled one like Hagens -- going through all of it for the first time.
“I thought he was good. I thought the whole line was great,” said Marco Sturm. “They used their speed, they were not afraid to make plays, and they made a lot of really good decisions…and they never really got into trouble.
“Coming into Columbus is a tough building and I was curious as to how James was going to handle it. I thought he did a good job. He gave me a reason for [some trust]. It wasn’t because of his name or because he was a high pick. I put him out there because I trusted him.”
Certainly, it was a memorable experience for Hagens as the entire family trucked out to Columbus for his NHL debut and did not come away disappointed with how he looked in Black and Gold for the first time.
Hagens himself was again saying and doing the right things during and after the game while having no guarantees about what lies ahead for him in the postseason.
“It was super cool. To be able to get that win was super special,” said Hagens. “You do everything you need to do to get prepared for the next time that you are in.
“Looking up in warmups and seeing [my family] there it was really cool to see how much support they have for me. They flew out this morning, so it meant a lot to have them here.”
The Hagens crew pic.twitter.com/JwHfAn6sZu
— Mr. Tenkrat (@PeterTenkrat) April 12, 2026
In the short term, one would absolutely expect that Hagens will play again on Tuesday night against the New Jersey Devils, and against the player he is most often compared to in today’s NHL, Jack Hughes.
The other interesting development from a Bruins perspective arrived with veterans Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson and Hampus Lindholm all getting the night off against the Blue Jackets. Alex Steeves and Mikey Eyssimont will be two other players in direct competition with Hagens for a playoff lineup spot, and both players also acquitted themselves very well against Columbus on Sunday night.
Steeves could have had assists on both of his line’s goals with his hard work, winning battles and being very strong on the forecheck, but instead finished a plus-2 while the B’s fourth line produced goals for Kuraly and the third period game-winner for Mark Kastelic. Eyssimont finished with six shot attempts and a couple of blocked shots in 10:35 of ice time and had at least one rush where it looked like he had three different scoring chances that Jet Greaves was able to turn away.
The bottom line was that the fourth line looked as good as it has in weeks with Kuraly centering Kastelic and Steeves, and that gives Sturm some interesting food for thought ahead of the postseason.
“I liked all four lines. They all brought something to the table,” said Sturm. “It was a great win with a few guys out. Guys worked extremely hard like they have all year long. I also was glad to see some guys like [Mark Kastelic] and [Henri Jokiharju] get rewarded because they’ve put in the hard work all year long.”
It is most likely that Hagens will play again Tuesday against New Jersey along with a bevy of P-Bruins callups while more veteran players take a night of rest, and that will give Boston’s prized prospect another chance to shine and build confidence ahead of the playoff pressure cooker that awaits about a week from now.