Hagens lands at right spot for Bruins in 2025 NHL Draft

James Hagens has long admired Happy Gilmore.

So, when Adam Sandler appeared on screen at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles to announce the Boston Bruins' first-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, dressed as the title character from his favorite movie, Hagens glanced over at his mom and a smile stole over his face.

This was his favorite movie. Maybe this was his moment.

Hagens had waited longer than anticipated to hear his name called at the draft, having once been expected to go as high as the top pick. But at No. 7, Hagens felt everything coming together.

“It was just right away the coolest thing and then as he starts talking, you hope to hear that he’s gonna say Boston College and he ended up saying Boston College and I waited an extra second to hear my name, stood up, from there it was just nuts,” Hagens said.

It didn’t feel real. But it was.

The Bruins had gone with the obvious pick at No. 7, a player who not only has spent the past season playing down the street at Boston College, but also a player who fills an area of serious need for Boston, a center. As general manager Don Sweeney said, “We’re very happy that James was there.”

Hagens, too, was thrilled.

“It’s the coolest thing in the world,” said Hagens, who had approximately 50 members of his family in Los Angeles with him. “It’s close to home. It’s nice for my parents. I wanted to go to school in Boston. Turns out I’m a Boston Bruin now. It all worked out.”

It hadn’t always seemed likely that he would be available for the Bruins. Not only were the New York Islanders believed to be in pursuit of the Hauppauge, New York, native, after taking Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick in the draft, but Hagens had been considered a potential top-five pick.

His stock had fallen, as others had risen, in recent days and weeks until it seemed possible that he could still be available for the Bruins.

“You look back at James’ track record, he’s been a prolific point producer,” Sweeney said. “If you’d seen him in World Juniors, again, against his peer group, he was in the upper echelon of production side of things. There’s been a few players, you’re right, that have gone into college hockey at that age and have been better overall, but there’s no shame in the type of year he had, playing on the top line on one of the top teams in the country.

“So, there’s no concern on our part thinking he took a step back from a production standpoint. He will be perfectly fine moving forward and that’s why we drafted him. We feel he’s a guy that can help generate offensively and continue to round out his game, 200-foot game, but wants to play in every situation, and has produced at every level that he’s been at.”

The slide ended in what seems like a perfect marriage. The Bruins have been searching for a No. 1 center since they lost their top two centers, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, to retirement in the summer of 2023.

They had wanted an impactful player. In Hagens, they believe that’s exactly what they got.

“He’s excelled against his peer group at every opportunity he’s had,” Sweeney said. “His production at the [National Team Development] Program is amongst the best that’s ever played. There’s been some pretty special players that have gone through there. He went into college hockey, played on the top line. We believe in the player, what he’s done.”

Listed at 5-foot-11, 177 pounds, Hagens said he had been able to get his weight up to 190 in the gym.

Describing his game, Hagens said, “Just excitement. A player that has a really good hockey IQ, loves to skate with the puck, is an exciting player to watch, that’ll put his heart and soul on the line, give his all to the team.”

The hope, perhaps, is that in short order, it could be Hagens distributing the puck to forward David Pastrnak on the Bruins’ top line.

It’s something Hagens wouldn’t mind himself.

Asked about his future plans, including about returning to BC next season, Hagens said, “I can’t give you an answer because I don’t know myself. But I want to play in the NHL. I’m sure it’s everyone else’s goal, so we’ll see.”

For his part, Sweeney said there would be “no hurry to try and fast track James.”

For the Bruins, the No. 7 pick marked their highest choice since they took Tyler Seguin with the No. 2 selection in 2010 and their first top-10 pick since they took Dougie Hamilton with the No. 9 selection in 2011.

Hagens had 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games for BC this season, despite being the fourth-youngest player in college hockey. He skated between two players who made their NHL debuts at the end of last season, in Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) and, given that they and others have left BC in the interim, he may have to take on more responsibility next season.

“He’ll look to maybe generate a little bit more and maybe have a shoot-first mentality at times,” Sweeney said. “He’ll have the hard matchups again against the other top lines throughout college hockey. It’s a good test for him.”

The No. 3 North American skater, as ranked by NHL Central Scouting, tied for the team lead with five goals in seven games to help the United States win gold at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Three days after being selected by the Bruins, Hagens is scheduled to be in Boston for the team’s development camp, which starts Monday. It will be a familiar scene for Hagens as he takes the ice at Warrior Ice Arena. Not only will two teammates (Dean Letourneau, Andre Gasseau) be there, but BC skated at the Bruins' practice facility multiple times this season.

Even though Hagens might have expected to hear his name sooner, he wouldn’t change what ultimately happened.

“I wanted to be at the spot that wanted me the most,” he said. “I wanted to be in a good spot. And I’m so lucky that it ended up being a Boston Bruin. It’s the best spot in the world. It’s a dream come true for me and I know for my whole entire family. I’m just so excited right now. I’m really excited to be able to say that I’m a Boston Bruin and I take a lot of pride in that.”

So, will he return to BC with a chip on his shoulder?

“Yeah, I think next year you’ll be able to hopefully see,” Hagens said. “I thought this year was really good. Just got to go out there next year and prove everyone that passed on me wrong. But I’m in a spot where I want to be, I want to be a Boston Bruin, and I’m really excited to get things going.”