It is safe to say that the Boston Bruins finally struck some NHL Draft success last June. Picking seventh, it was expected that general manager Don Sweeney was going to get a good player who was hopefully going to help down the line. It appears that was the case.
When it got to Boston's turn to pick, most people could not believe that James Hagens was still available. Once thought of as the top overall pick in his draft class, Hagens fell all the way to No. 7. He was sought after so badly by the New York Islanders that they tried hard to trade up to select him after they got Matthew Schaeffer with the No. 1 overall pick earlier in the night. It was too good to be true.
Hagens is one of a handful of Bruins prospects playing at Boston College this season, and he is turning heads almost weekly. He did it once again on Friday night in a huge matchup for the Eagles against UConn in a massive game with NCAA Tournament implications tied to it. It was the front end of a home-and-home, and Hagens made sure BC got off to a good start.
Bruins prospect James Hagens records hat trick in BC's win over UConn
Hagens was at it again on Friday night. The Long Island native scored three goals, the first three goals of the game for Boston College in a 5-2 win over the Huskies at Conte Forum. The rematch will be Saturday afternoon at UConn at 3 p.m.
Hagens opened the scoring on the power play in the first period when his shot was initially stopped, but trickled into the net for a 1-0 lead. He doubled the lead later in the period when he again blasted a slap shot through a screen. He capped off his hat trick in the second period and scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal on the power play again when he one-timed a cross-ice pass.
Hagens with a hat trick to close out the second!
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) February 21, 2026
📺 NESN pic.twitter.com/pF4kNg3197
Another Bruins prospect, Andre Gasseau, picked up three assists in the game for the Eagles, who will look for the weekend sweep on Saturday and solidify their chances for a berth in the NCAA Tournament next month.