It’s going to be a fascinating upcoming hockey season for 19-year-old James Hagens as he readies for his first full foray in the NHL.
It will undoubtedly start with Hagens being a part of Bruins rookie camp in a few weeks, where the B’s are obviously hoping to see the teenager dominate among his peers after a cursory introduction into pro hockey at the end of last season. In that way, it will be an important tone-setting time for a gifted young player after he posted a goal and five points in eight games at the AHL and NHL level last season at the end of a whirlwind hockey season that saw him skate on five different hockey teams at five different levels of competition.
There were flashes and moments at the end of last season when the talent was showing during pro shifts here or there, but it’s pretty clear the mandate this season is to play his game at the pros just as he did in a dominant final collegiate season at Boston College.
“I love the way he played at the end of last season. I love that he went to Providence. There were a lot of good things. Did we see the offense that he usually [showed] in college? No, but he didn’t want to make any mistakes. He did absolutely okay,” said Marco Sturm on the Bruins Beat podcast with Evan Marinovsky this past week. “This year I think he should come out and just play the game. I will help him with the structure, but I don’t want him to lose that skill and touch that he’s had in the past. That’s why we drafted him so high. There are a lot of good things and if he can provide those to us 5-on-5 and on the power play, then he is going to get those opportunities.”
Marco Sturm on James Hagens performance with the #Bruins last season:
— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) August 27, 2026
“I love the way he played end of the last season. I love that he went to Providence. There was a lot of good things.” pic.twitter.com/jtBudUnBI0
Expectations will vary widely for what Hagens will settle into this first season, amid a crowded B’s forward group where bottom-six playing time will be hotly contested. The expectation is that the speedy, skilled former seventh overall pick is going to play on the wing in a developmental move that should allow him to focus on being an impactful offensive player without the responsibilities of playing the 200-foot game as a center with high two-way responsibilities on the ice.
A starting point as a third-line winger with experienced, physical linemates that can protect him would seem the best entry point, as would a spot on Boston’s second power-play unit that befits his skill level on offense.
It’s a similar kind of modest expectations/gradual progression for a young player that everybody saw with 21-year-old Fraser Minten last season. Yes, the youngster did kick things off as a third-line center right away, protected by a couple of hard-nosed veteran wingers in Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic, but Sturm did a really good job of slowly feeding Minten more responsibility once he was certain that he could handle it well.
“Just talking about my young kids, I am not a guy that will give them everything right away,” said Sturm on the Bruins Beat podcast on CLNS this past week. “I do not [do that]…I do not. They have to deserve it first. They have to show me [they can handle it] and then I will give them that little bit more.
“For example, going back to Fraser Minten, there were times when I remember [assistant coach] Steve Spott was telling me about putting him on the power play. And I always said ‘nope…nope…nope.’ Can he do it? Absolutely. But he is not allowed yet and I kind of waited and waited until I felt like he was ready to take that next step, and that he was ready to take on a few more minutes. And then we go from there…and it wasn’t just Minten. [It was] Khusnutdinov too. So there are steps in my coaching that [a player] has to