Despite the Boston Bruins being in the thick of an Eastern Conference playoff race, there are a lot of eyes on top prospect James Hagens. Last Friday night, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and other members of the front office and the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) were in attendance at Conte Forum to watch Boston College play Maine in a Hockey East quarterfinal.
If the Eagles had lost, then the James Hagens signing watch would have been on. However, Hagens and BC kept their season alive with a 5-0 victory to advance to the Hockey East semifinals on Friday night at the TD Garden. Boston College will play UConn in the second game, and the Eagles need to win the tournament to get an NCAA Tournament berth next weekend. It's a tall ask.
Hagens, who is a sophomore and returned to BC after being the seventh overall pick by the Bruins in last June's NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles, was named a finalist for a major college hockey award.
Bruins prospect James Hagens is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award
The finalists for the annual Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the top player in college hockey, were released, and Hagens was one of the 10 finalists. This season, Hagens scored 23 goals and had 22 assists in 33 games. He led Hockey East in scoring.
The three Hobey Hat Trick finalists will be revealed on April 3, and the winner will be announced during the Frozen Four on April 10, the day before the national championship game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Gavin McKenna of Penn State, who is predicted to be the first overall pick in this June's Entry Draft, is also a finalist. Bruins fans are hoping Hagens will be in Marco Sturm's lineup next month when the three finalists are announced and the winner a week later.