Hagens Makes Strong First Impression at Bruins Dev Camp

BOSTON – Nothing was going to stop James Hagens.

Not any flight delays, not a lack of sleep, not even Adam McQuaid’s offer to stay off the ice.

Nope, the seventh overall pick in Friday night’s NHL Draft was suiting up.

“When you have the chance to put on the Bruin jersey, you can’t say no. It doesn’t matter what flight delay or how much sleep you get, this is a dream come true. It’s the first time you get to put on the jersey. You’d have to cut off my leg to tell me I couldn’t get on that ice,” Hagens said on Monday afternoon at Warrior Ice Arena.

“It was a moment that when you’re standing in this locker room, all you want to do is to be able to get out there and be a part of this.”

Hagens and fellow Bruins’ draft pick – and future Boston College teammate – Will Moore encountered multiple travel delays as they attempted to cross the country from Los Angeles over the weekend.

They finally arrived in the Hub in the wee hours of the morning on Monday and managed a couple of hours of downtime at the hotel before heading to Brighton for off-ice testing.

When McQuaid, the Bruins’ Player Development Coordinator, told Hagens and Moore they were free to go, the duo looked at each other and quickly made their decision: they were taking the ice.

“It’s all about making a great first impression,” said Moore. “Also, at the same time, any chance me and James get to get on the ice, we want to. We had the option but there’s times where in the future you might get back from a flight at 4 in the morning and you’ve got to show up and play. Just building good habits. We felt great out here. Glad we made that choice.”

The decision impressed McQuaid and the rest of the Bruins brass.

“It says a lot,” said McQuaid. “They were given the option, came down and told them, and they were like, ‘We want to go on.’ Obviously, had a really tough few days with travel and limited sleep getting into the hotel at 4 a.m. last night. They came in this morning, did all the off-ice testing and wanted to get on the ice, wanted to get right into the group. It’s a promising, good sign.”

So, too, McQuaid acknowledged, was the way in which Hagens performed once he hit the ice. The 18-year-old Long Island native did not miss beat.

“Well, I saw him a lot last year. It’s been well documented that we’ve had lots of guys at BC and even more going forward here,” McQuaid said of the Bruins’ sextet of Boston College products (Hagens, Moore, Oskar Jellvik, Andre Gasseau, Dean Letourneau, and Kristian Kostadinksi.

“No real surprises. I think the biggest thing, the biggest takeaway, is he didn’t seem to miss a beat after going through a busy couple days. You can tell how smooth he is out there, confident with the puck. Looking forward to getting to know him more as a person. Seems like he was excited to be out there.

“He came down one end and got to shoot on a goalie and it was like, ‘Alright, here we go.’ He’s driven to score some goals. A great first day and a great first impression as far as on and off the ice.”

Moore, who is set to be a freshman at Boston College in the Fall, watched Hagens at the U.S. National Team Development Program and has always admired his abilities from afar.

“A lot of traits to take away from his game,” said Moore. “Always plays with his head up. Really smooth, skilled, loves play making. Gotten a lot of opportunities to learn from him. I try to translate that into my game.”

Hagens was equally excited about his first time hitting the ice with the Spoked-B on his chest.

“It was amazing. Being able to put that jersey on, being able to put on that equipment and step on the ice and be a part of this organization…it’s the coolest feeling in the world to be able to be out there with all those coaches, all the players. It was really, really cool,” said Hagens.

At the Draft in L.A., Hagens said he is now clocking in at around 190 pounds as his 5-foot-11 frame continues to fill out. Despite the added weight, the centerman said it did not alter his speed or skating ability.

“It felt great. It’s not affecting my speed or anything at all,” said Hagens, who added that he’ll spend some time with family at home on Long Island after Development Camp. “It’s a goal I wanted to get to. I’m really glad I’m at this weight, it’s gonna help you as you try to make the jump to the NHL. There’s gonna be strong, tough guys that are coming down on you in the corners. You’ve got to make sure that you’re at the right weight to maintain yourselves.”

Hagens said that he’ll be using this week at Development Camp to soak up as much as he can about the Bruins organization and the NHL lifestyle.

“It’s just learning, you have so many smart hockey minds here, you have to be coachable, you have to be able to be a sponge around everyone here, whether it’s players or coaches,” said Hagens. “There’s always something to learn. This is a world class organization, just being able to walk around the facilities and see how nice it is and see how hard it’s gonna be to get here. This is your goal, this is your dream. It’s gonna take a lot to get to this point.”

And Hagens is willing to do whatever it takes.

“I want to be a Boston Bruin. I want to be a Boston Bruin really bad,” said Hagens. “It comes with a lot of pride, a lot of honor, to be able to be part of something like this, to be able to even get picked and say you’re picked by the Boston Bruins. It’s something that it doesn’t really hit you until you’re up on that stage.

“It’s gonna come with a lot of hard work. I know how hard it’s gonna be. It’s just a big step. I’m gonna give everything I possibly have to this team, to this organization, to the fanbase. I’m just excited to get it going.”

Wait, There’s More

• Hagens said that any conversations about where he plays in the Fall will happen after Development Camp. “That’s a conversation you have to have with the staff and management,” he said. “We’ll have that talk at the end of camp. Just to be able to get the Draft over and know what team you’re putting your heart and soul into. It’s a lot better now.”
• Hagens said that he has received calls from David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy and also met with Nikita Zadorov on Monday at Warrior Ice Arena. “Pasta called me right after the Draft happened, it was really cool,” said Hagens. “I was in my hotel room. He sent me a text and asked me if I was awake. That was really, really cool. Zadorov, I was able to meet him here earlier today. And then Charlie McAvoy, I was able to FaceTime him earlier today. That was pretty cool as well.”
• Hagens spoke highly of McAvoy, his fellow Long Island native, and his influence on young hockey players. “He inspires everyone on Long Island, he’s the reason why hockey’s growing on Long Island, just to be able to have a player like that that little kids are looking up and inspired by a player like that,” said Hagens. “Now you’re becoming teammates with him. It’s gonna be really cool.”
• McQuaid on the Bruins having six Boston College prospects: “I wouldn’t say it’s been by design. It’s just kind of the way it’s unfolded. But they’ve had a great program there, the coaching staff does a great job and they’ve done a great job of getting guys NHL ready. It’s not that we necessarily need guys to be in our backyard, but it doesn’t hurt being able to be closely and being able to see them easily. It just cuts down on travel a bit.
• McQuaid added that Jellvik is still recovering from the shoulder surgery he underwent over the winter, though he is tracking well to be ready for his senior season with the Eagles. Because of the ongoing rehab process and Jellvik’s extensive Development Camp experience, both sides agreed that it made more sense for the forward to remain home in Sweden.