Immediately after being selected by the Bruins with the 7th overall pick last June, Bruins prospect James Hagens outlined the two things he wanted to accomplish during his sophomore year at Boston College. Hagens wanted to win a Beanpot, and he wanted to win a national championship.
The good news is that Hagens and the Eagles accomplished the first last month with their Beanpot win. And though the goal of a national championship will take a Hockey East tournament run, Hagens did pick up a separate honor Wednesday as the Hockey East scoring champion for the 2025-26 season.
In action for 24 games of Hockey East action this past season, Hagens posted 13 goals and 28 points for the Eagles, giving him a three-point edge on Maine’s Josh Nadeau as the conference’s top scorer. (Fellow B.C. Eagle and Bruins prospect Dean Letourneau finished fourth in the Hockey East scoring race, with 22 points in 24 conference contests this season, in case you’re curious.)
Overall, Hagens finished with 21 goals and 42 points in 32 games. His 21 goals were the eighth-most among all NCAA scorers, while his 42 points ranked 14th.
The 19-year-old Hagens has spent time at both center and wing this season, and while he was drafted as a center, that move to the wing is not exactly something that the Bruins have fought Boston College head coach Greg Brown on when it comes to his usage of Hagens this season.
“I think we’ve been more specific with all of our guys, communication wise and supportive of the coaches. In this case, [Brown] was at the World Juniors, and him being the head coach, I think there’s a really unique opportunity to sort of relay messages to James in terms of the bigger picture of what translates to pro and what doesn’t,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said earlier this month when asked about Hagens. “And we’ve been more intentional with that, and he’s responded in a lot of those ways. His production is still really good.
“He’s played a lot more in the wing, which could be an easier entry point for a young player in the NHL. That, again, remains to be seen. We drafted him as a center, he can play center, but now he’s playing both sides, so I think that adds to the versatility. I think our player development guys have been very intentional in messaging in conjunction with what the coaches are expecting, but also what the players need to address in their development.”
As noted, Hagens’ desire to go on a national title run will absolutely come down to how the Eagles perform in the Hockey East tournament, which begins Friday night with the Eagles squaring off against Maine. If the Eagles are unable to go on that run, the focus will immediately shift to Hagens turning pro and potentially jumping on Boston’s roster down the stretch.