On Friday night, a lifelong dream will come true for James Hagens.
The only question is how early.
The 18-year-old from Boston College is a no-doubt first-rounder in the NHL Entry Draft. The No. 3 ranked North American skater according to NHL Central Scouting, Hagens falls between No. 2 overall and No. 5 in most pre-draft rankings. In a poll at The Athletic, evaluators were unanimous in voting Hagens as the “best hands” in his entire class.
No matter where Hagens goes, he’s going to relish the moment.
That’s the advice he’s received from Boston College teammates like Ryan Leonard, Gabriel Perreault, and Jacob Fowler, all of whom have been drafted in the early rounds over the past two seasons.
“They all say the same thing: Just be grateful. Take it all in,” Hagens said. “It goes by quick. This summer is a little crazy, but this is something you’ll remember for the rest of your life. So these are all really special moments that you have to make sure you cherish with yourself and your family. It’s just something to be grateful for.”
Hagens has a chance to be drafted the highest of the bunch.
‘I’ve had to work for everything’
The son of two teachers, Hagens grew up on Long Island in Hauppauge, NY. His father, Michael, played defenseman for Division III SUNY-Brockport (1997-2000), and was quick to get the family hooked on hockey.
He built a backyard rink and all three of his children took to it.
Hagens’ older brother, Michael, is also a defenseman at Boston College, while his younger sister Emma plays at the Portledge School. Growing up they ventured to Islanders games at Nassau Coliseum and Hagens had a picture with Matt Martin on his bedroom wall. A playmaking forward on the smaller side, he liked watching clips of Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.
After being coaching by his father on the Long Island Royals, Hagens starred at Rhode Island powerhouse Mount St. Charles and the US National Development Team Program before landing at Boston College as a 17-year-old last fall. Feeling he’d accomplished enough after two seasons of juniors, he was ready to raise the bar.
“I wanted to be challenged at the college level,” Hagens said. “I wanted to join Boston College and I wanted to be pushed every day, playing against guys that are older and stronger that will push you and get you ready for the NHL… I knew that it would be the best step in getting me ready.”
Though it all, Hagens has carried a work ethic his parents instilled in him at a young age. When he attended the NHL Combine in June, he was hopeful that it stood out to teams.
“Just how high my compete level is,” Hagens said. “I love winning. I will do anything to win. Something that’s helped me get to the point where I am today is just how hard I’ve been able to work my whole life.
“Nothing has ever come easy. I’ve had to work for everything that I’ve ever gotten before. And that’s something I’m super grateful for. That’s something that’s just within my family. That’s something I was raised up, taught from my parents and my coaches. So going into those meetings, just really expressing how hard I compete and how badly I want to be on a team and hopefully win a Stanley Cup someday.”
‘He has that fire’
When Hagens arrived at Conte Forum, his new coach Greg Brown was struck by his demeanor right away.
“He’s a happy kid,” Brown said. “He comes into the rink every day with a smile. Just excited to be there. You can feel his positive energy when he comes into the locker room.”
As a teenager playing in rough-and-tumble Hockey East, Hagens acclimated to the competition quickly. He was named the Rookie of the Month in November, and once he returned from an exceptional World Juniors tournament — five goals, four assists en route to a Gold Medal — in January, Brown saw Hagens raise the bar even higher.
“You could see when games were tight, that he would elevate and really want to assert himself and try and take over the game,” Brown said. “Or (have) a major impact in the game. So he has that competitiveness. He has that fire.”
Hagens wound up with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games as a freshman. The goal total wasn’t huge, but Hagens was centering a line with NHL-bound wingers in Leonard and Perrault. He was happy to make the right play to set a teammate up. Hagens just wanted the 27-8-2 Eagles to win games.
Though it wasn’t a Macklin-Celebrini-style explosion, he was pleased to be producing at a point-per-game rate given the level of competition he was facing.
“You’re playing against guys that are 25, 24-year-olds every night,” Hagens said. “It’s tough. It’s hard hockey, but I’m super grateful to be able to have the year I was able to have with the group of guys we did have.”
Away from the rink, there was one other thing that stood out to Brown.
“He cares,” Brown said. “He cares about his teammates. He wants to do the right things. He wants to learn. There’s a lot of — it’s not just going out there to show off his skill package. He wants to play the right way within the frame of the game and that’s not always easy for guys who grow up always being the best guy on the ice. He wants to understand the big picture of how it all works and then be able to be as big a factor as he can within that framework.”
‘Getting drafted has been my dream’
Now comes the uncertainty for Hagens.
After earning spots on the US Development Team and at Boston College, he won’t have agency in where he’s drafted. It could be his hometown Islanders at No. 1 overall, the Bruins at No. 7, or anywhere from East Coast to West.
If he slides to Boston, Hagens said he’d be embrace being a Bruin.
“I love Boston,” Hagens said. “Being at Boston College, we’re right in the middle of Boston there. So it’s a beautiful city. Only great things to say about it. I love it there.”
After the draft, Hagens said he doesn’t know if he’ll be back in Chestnut Hill for another season. That’s a conversation he’ll need to have with the team that drafts him and his family. NHL teams retain the rights of their draft picks throughout their college careers, so there’s no rush for most selections.
Brown would certainly welcome him back with open arms.
“He’s a driver on our team,” Brown said. “A key guy. All over the ice, but especially in offensive situations. He’s able to create offense where there seems to be none, and that’s not an easy thing to do. I also think he would grow his leadership in the locker room and on the ice coming back as a sophomore.”
Over the past year, there’s been plenty of speculation about where he’ll land next, but Hagens is doing his best to embrace the noise. Sooner or later, he knows his name will be called, and he’ll be one step closer to the NHL.
“Honestly, you just kinda have to be grateful about it,” Hagens said. “Being able to hear your name in those conversations and obviously leading up to the draft now, being allowed the opportunity to get drafted into any organization in the league, it’s something you have to be grateful for. It’s one step in your process, but you just have to be ready.
“Getting drafted has been my dream my whole entire life. That’s why I started playing hockey. That’s why I still play. I’m really just grateful for everything right now. The noise will always be there, but you just have to make sure you’re living in the moment.”
