Bruins fans hoping for an immediate explosion from top prospect James Hagens in Providence will have to wait.
Hagens was held without a point in his AHL debut for Providence against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday night, a game the P-Bruins won 2-1 on the road at the MassMutual Center. Hagens did manage to make three shots on goal in the victory, playing on the team’s top line with center Patrick Brown and right wing Matej Blumel.
The Bruins recently signed Hagens to an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) with Providence, shortly after Boston College’s season ended. GM Don Sweeney described the move as “a great opportunity for (Hagens) to get immediate experience at the professional level in Providence and continue his development, while keeping all options open.” Sweeney is also hoping that Hagens can round out his game, giving no indication that he could accomplish that enough to sign his entry-level contract for a late-season call to the NHL.
“The details, and especially this time of year, the space is limited and the stakes are higher, [so] you gotta be a more complete player,” Sweeney told reporters Tuesday. “Offensively, he’s gifted with the puck. And teaching and being invested in details off puck, are habits and details that can be acquired if the player is willing to do that.”
It doesn’t sound like Sweeney is in any hurry to sign Hagens to Boston and put a spoked ‘B’ on him. If the top prospect can produce enough to outscore his limitations, a scenario Sweeney has described in so many words, perhaps the Bruins make a surprise move. For now, fans will have to settle for clips of Hagens taking the ice for his first professional game action.
Boston, meanwhile, pulled off a thrilling comeback win over the Buffalo Sabres Wednesday night, extending their wild card lead with two critical points.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.