When the Boston Bruins received some bad NHL Draft Lottery luck in May of 2025, there were some questions as to what general manager Don Sweeney was going to do with the pick. The lowest his team could fall after finishing in the basement of the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia Flyers. Some reward for tanking over the final six weeks of the 2024-25 season.
Anyway, the Bruins held onto the pick, and despite not getting some NHL Draft Lottery luck, they got some big draft night luck. Once seen as the first overall pick well before the draft in Los Angeles 14 months ago, James Hagens slipped to No. 7 and the Black and Gold. As soon as his name was called, he became Boston's top prospect.
After a good sophomore season at Boston College last season, Hagens signed a PTO and joined the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) before signing an NHL entry-level deal in April and getting his feet wet late in the regular season and playoffs. Going into the upcoming season, there are big expectations for Hagens, but one NHL writer curiously dropped him in his 2025 re-draft.
Bruins prospect James Hagens tumbles in the re-draft of the 2025 class
Corey Pronman of The Athletic re-drafted the 2025 first round of the Entry Draft, and surprisingly, he dropped Hagens from No. 7, where he was picked, to No. 12. Dropping one or two spots, sure, but five?
Hagens accomplished everything he could at Boston College, and after the Eagles were bounced from the Hockey East semifinals by UConn in March at the TD Garden, it was a no-brainer for him to leave and become a pro. He did, and even though he started in the AHL, he proved he's NHL-ready after his handful of regular-season games and the first three games of the first-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres.
Going into training camp next month at Warrior Ice Arena, Hagens will be fighting for a roster spot, and despite likely deserving one, he'll have to earn it in what could become a heated battle for two weeks for limited roster spots with an abundance of middle and bottom-six forwards.
Pronman moved six players who were drafted behind Hagens ahead of him. Some were even from the second round. That feels like a stretch, but if anything, it should provide the New York native with a chip on his shoulder going into camp.
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