BOSTON — James Hagens hasn’t decided whether he’ll be back at Boston College for his sophomore season or whether he’d ready to turn pro yet.
After earning All-Rookie status in Hockey East as a freshman at Boston College, the Bruins picked Hagens with the No. 7 overall pick in Friday’s NHL Draft.
Barring an injury, he’s likely to spend at most one more year in Chestnut Hill, but if he and the Bruins, both agreed he was ready, he could turn pro now.
Last month Hagens was non-committal about his future before he knew what team he’d be with.
“Just have to see what happens. There’s no decision made yet,” Hagens said on a Tuesday morning Zoom call. “That’s a discussion that me and my family and the team would have to have after the draft.”
On Friday, he offered a similar response.
“It’s a talk that sure I’ll have with the staff when I, when I see them,” he said. “Good thing is it’s right down the street from each other, so yeah, I’m glad it all worked out.”
But pushed a little, he admitted he was eager said he’s gained weight and strength since he got to Boston College.
“I wanna play in the NHL as soon as possible,” he said. “That’s a conversation with the team, whether I’m doing that now or once the season’s once the college season’s over, that’s a conversation we have to have.”
Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney liked the enthusiasm, but pumped the breaks a bit.
“He will come right back and join us for development camp and we’ll just incrementally have discussions about where he’s at,” Sweeney said. “There will be no hurry to try and fast-track James. I’d say about every player. If somewhere between now and then that changes and we feel differently about it, as we’re evaluating, we may make that decision. I know He’d like to play right away. I’m sure every guy that was drafted tonight thinks they might be able to play in the National Hockey League, but we’ll allow that to take a more natural course and make the right decision.”
Hagens played at BC last year with Dean Letourneau, Boston’s first-round pick in 2024 as well as Oskar Jellvik and Andre Gasseau, who were later-round Bruins picks. There were 12 NHL Draft picks on the Eagles roster in 2024-25.
Bruins’ 2023 seventh-rounder Kristian Kostadinksi will be a freshman next year at the Heights.
Hagens, who was at the NHL Draft in Los Angeles, is expected to be at Bruins Develoment Camp on Monday at Warrior Arena. College players can attend development camps, but need to be signed to attend training camp.