In the System: Hagens Named One of 10 Hobey Baker Finalists

BostonBruins.com – Take a look through what some of the Bruins prospects have been up to over the last week.

NCAA

James Hagens posted two goals and an assist in No. 17 ranked Boston College’s 5-0 win over Maine in the Hockey East Quarterfinal last Friday. The forward extended the Eagles’ lead to 2-0 in the first period, assisted on an empty net goal, and scored an empty net goal. Hagens leads the conference in scoring with 23 goals and 45 points and ranks second in assists with 22. He was also named to the All-Hockey East First Team.

Earlier this week, Hagens was also named as one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, which is presented annually to college hockey’s top player.

BC will battle UConn in the Hockey East semifinals on Friday night at TD Garden (7 p.m. ET on NESN+).

Dean Letourneau recorded a goal and an assist in No. 17 ranked Boston College’s 5-0 win over Maine in the Hockey East Quarterfinal last Friday. The forward netted the first of two empty net goals and assisted on the other. Letourneau was named to the All-Hockey East Third Team and ranks second in the conference with 20 goals and 37 points through 35 games. The Arnprior, Ontario, native was originally selected by Boston in the first round (25th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

Ryan Walsh notched a goal and an assist in No. 8 ranked Cornell’s 5-2 victory over Harvard in the ECAC Quarterfinal last Sunday. The forward scored on the power play in the middle frame to give the Big Red a 2-1 lead, before assisting on a tally just under four minutes later to give Cornell a two-goal lead. Walsh ranks first on the team with 22 assists and second with 31 points through 31 games this season. The Rochester, New York, native was originally selected by Boston in the sixth round (188th overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Providence

The Providence Bruins remain in first place in the American Hockey League despite dropping their last two contests. The P-Bruins boast a 45-13-1 record with 13 games to play and hold the league’s second-best win percentage at .771. Providence is 7-3-0 in its last ten games and holds a nine-point lead in the Atlantic Division with two games in hand.

Ty Gallagher netted his first professional hat-trick in the P-Bruins’ 7-0 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack last Saturday. The defenseman also posted two assists in a 3-2 loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Sunday. Gallagher has eleven points in his last eight games and has five multi-point contests this season. He has amassed seven goals and 11 assists through 32 games this season.

Matthew Poitras has goals in back-to-back games and points in three straight contests. The forward scored a goal in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Springfield. Poitras leads Providence with six power play goals and totals 13 goals and 25 assists through 56 games this season.

Georgii Merkulov extended his point streak to six games with an assist in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss at Lehigh Valley. The forward has seven points in that six-game span, including one goal. Merkulov ranks tied for first on the team with 49 points and is second with 18 goals and 31 assists.

Juniors

Cooper Simpson is third in the USHL with 67 points through 57 games this season. The forward also ranks tied for third in the league with 30 goals. Simpson’s seven game-winning goals are tied for first in the league and his 12 power play tallies rank tied for third. The Shakopee, Minnesota, native was originally selected by Boston in the 3rd round (79th overall) of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Europe

Vashek Blanar has skated in 30 games with HV71 Jr. of the Swedish Junior Hockey League this season. The defenseman has totaled five goals and 10 assists. The Vail, Colorado, native was originally selected by Boston in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.