The latest under-23 rankings from The Athletic aren’t anything to celebrate if you are a fan of the Boston Bruins.

James Hagens landed in the 59th spot among 156 under-23 players playing in the NHL or within the prospect pipeline. Corey Pronman ranked him in the sixth and final tier of players, labeled “Middle of the lineup player.” The tier was also the largest, spanning from No. 57 through No. 156. The ranking is not about the player right now, but about the trajectory of his NHL career.

Hagens fell just behind Seattle’s Shane Wright and Berkly Catton, and ranked one spot ahead of Nashville’s Brady Martin. 

Hagens was graded “above average” in skating, puck skills, and hockey sense, and he landed an “average” grade for his compete. It’s noted that average means NHL average, which is still a positive. 

“Hagens isn’t that big or physical, and can stay on the outside too much, but he gives a decent effort, and coaches tend to lean on him,” Pronman wrote. “He has the potential to be a top-six forward, although that’s likely trending more toward being on the wing. If he’s a center, it would be more of a 3C.”

Huh? A 3C? 

That’s new, and that’s not what the Bruins’ front office necessarily sees in their seventh overall draft choice. 

“I think [Fraser Minten and James Hagens] both have that skill set,” Cam Neely said in May when asked if the two can develop into a No. 1 center. “They’re both a little different players. One’s more like Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] as far as a 200-foot player and maybe [doesn’t] see the ice as well as Hagens does. Hagens’ head is up all the time, he’s constantly looking to distribute.”

“Whether they either become number one centers is up to them and how that goes for them and what the path is for them. You know, we want to give these guys every opportunity to take a job that’s staring at them. I mean, we all in this room recognize we don’t have a true number one [center], you know, and that’s something that we want to try to rectify, whether it’s this offseason or those guys growing into it. But it’s something that we know that’s needed.”

Cam Neely on Hagens and Minten: “I think they both have that skill set.”

“Once [Minten] figures that out, like every player does over time, or most players do over time. I think he’s going to grow and continue to grow. Whether they either become number one centers is up to… https://t.co/qUTuJNsUuK pic.twitter.com/CPG9MbaAPx

— Jack Studley (@jackstudley13) May 6, 2026

Don Sweeney went further on July 1, doubling down on the Bruins’ center by committee with an eye toward the future.

“I think the depth of our center position is really good. I think with James [Hagens] potentially going in the middle of the ice, Dean [Letourneau] coming in behind it, Will Moore plays the center. We’re positioned,” Sweeney said. “We would love to see one of them really, really pop and turn into a star. I don’t think that’s any different than how [David] Pastrnak turned into a star. Most of the time it’s through growth.”

Hagens is a center, was drafted as a center, but has been an option on the wing. He played the majority of his sophomore season at BC on the left side, and that did not change once he turned pro with Providence and Boston. Sweeney has, a few times, noted that his entry point is easier on the wing, and Marco Sturm has said that Hagens will get his shot down the middle. 

“With Hagens, he just, I do like him. I want to see him at one point, probably as a center, he does have potential, but it’s just, he’s just not there yet,” Sturm said on breakup day. “I feel like, I think it’s great for him now learning the game as a winger, and then, we have to see moving forward where it’s going to go.”

Hagens also has to earn a spot in Boston before he can start to show signs of his long-term ceiling, but he’ll have that opportunity once camp opens. Cam Neely made that clear during the NESN/WEEI Radio-Telethon on Monday, mentioning the Long Island native by name. 

“I’m excited about the competition in camp this year, to be honest, see some of the younger kids push for jobs. [James] Hagens got a taste a little bit last year, so we’ll see. I know he’s been working really hard this offseason,” Neely said. “These younger players must be looking. They should be licking their chops to say, ‘Okay, I want that spot right there.’”

It’s still very early in Hagens’ NHL career. The Bruins haven’t penciled him in down the middle yet, but the door is open for Hagens to grow into the 1C the Bruins lack. Whether he reaches that ceiling remains to be seen, but the Bruins clearly see more than the “3C” or “middle of the lineup player” that Pronman projects.

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