Hagens making case to be top pick of 2025 NHL Draft

The 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 27-28 at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The first round will be held June 27 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), with rounds 2-7 on June 28 (Noon ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, SN1). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at center James Hagens of Boston College in Hockey East. Full draft coverage can be found here.

Nothing kept James Hagens from finding ice time whenever he had the urge to stickhandle or shoot at the crack of dawn.

Even if it meant setting off alarms as a 14-year-old after sneaking into Adelard Arena on the campus of Mount St. Charles Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

"You're at a place where you have a rink 100 steps away from you at all times and I just always wanted to be there, wanted to be on the ice as much as possible," Hagens told NHL.com. "When I got there, I didn't really know what doors you could open, and I guess I opened the wrong door that set off the alarm. Hockey is so much fun ... you'd do anything just to step on the ice. It doesn't matter if it's practice, a game or if you're alone."

Frank O'Connor, who coached the under-14 team at Mount St. Charles at the time, remembers how dedicated Hagens was at such a young age.

"It was a time when we couldn't play games for 3-4 months due to COVID-19 and the kids were doing virtual school," O'Connor said. "One day I get to the rink at about 5:50 a.m. and I hear pucks being ripped off the glass. There's James in the dark, in full gear, shooting pucks and working on his game at 14 years old."

That attitude four years ago at Mount St. Charles hasn't changed much. Hagens still relishes constructive criticism and remains determined as ever to do whatever it takes to succeed.

"I love it when coaches can look you in the face and just tell you straightforward what you have to do and if you're not doing it enough," Hagens said. "I want coaches to tell me the truth because that's the way you develop as a player and as a human too. Wherever you go, you learn new things and how to handle yourself on and off the ice."

Hagens (5-foot-10, 177 pounds) handled himself pretty well as a freshman at Boston College in Hockey East this season despite being the fourth-youngest player in college hockey. In addition to getting an opportunity to play with his older brother, Michael, he adjusted to the defensive side of the game and learned how to become a strong two-way center under the tutelage of BC coach Greg Brown.

The left-handed shot finished third on BC with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games skating mostly as the No. 1 center between left wing Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals). He started his NCAA career with a seven-game point streak (11 points; one goal, 10 assists) from Oct. 11-Nov. 8.

He also played center with left wing Teddy Stiga (Nashville Predators) on a few occasions.

"I think he's a generational player," Stiga said of Hagens. "He's a great guy off the ice and was my roommate at school, so we're really close. His play on the ice, though, it's dynamic and not many people play like him."

Hagens ranked fourth among NCAA Division I freshmen in points, playing on a team composed of several NHL drafted players. He earned a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and is No. 3 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2025 draft.

"The fact he's been able to be a consistent contributor at the NCAA level as a freshman was impressive and he was doing it on a team where he had to earn his ice time, had to earn and keep his spot," NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said.

Hagens had no points on six shots in three games against rival Boston University this season but still earned the respect of the opposition.

"He's a terrific player," BU coach Jay Pandolfo said. "He can really control the pace of the game, is really smart, and makes plays. I certainly don't like coaching against him because every time he has a puck on his stick, he's looking to make a play. He can facilitate, can shoot it … he does a bit of everything."

Hagens looks to become the highest-drafted player out of Boston College and the first top-five selection from the school since defenseman Noah Hanifin went No. 5 to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Did anything Hagens do surprise Brown?

"I guess the biggest surprise was just how easy he made some things look," the Boston College coach said. "He can transport the puck and has his head up, so he's never surprised by people when he's carrying the puck. You saw him do it at the junior level [with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program], but you didn't know if it would transfer as easily as it has to the college level. That part's really been impressive."

Making things look easy has come natural to Hagens.

"For James, it was about challenging him," O'Connor said. "The willingness to learn new ideas and his hockey IQ were already high, but we just started throwing more at him from 5-on-5, to the penalty kill, to the power play, and he just always wanted more thrown at him. That's why he's going to be so successful."

Hagens has been playing the game for as long as he can remember, even battling the elements on the homemade 20-by-40 outdoor rink with older brother, Mike, and younger sister, Emma.

"My dad was the reason why me and my brother, my whole family, got introduced to hockey," Hagens said. "Of course, my dad is a big New York Islanders fan, so we grew up watching the Isles and he put us on the ice right away ... we just fell in love with it.

"There's nothing better than walking into your backyard with snow on the ground to play hockey until mom calls you inside for dinner."

Born in Hauppauge, N.Y., in Suffolk County on Long Island, the Hagens family lived for Islanders hockey. They were excited when New York jumped nine teams to win the NHL Draft Lottery and gain the No. 1 pick in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

There's no telling what the retooling Islanders will do with the first choice in the draft, but it has been known for some time now that Hagens is one of the top centers available. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, is No. 1 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. Center Michael Misa of Saginaw (OHL) is No. 2.

What would Brown tell an NHL general manager on the fence about selecting Hagens at the top of the draft?

"The one thing you have to understand or take into consideration with James is that he's playing college hockey right now," Brown said. "He's playing against older, stronger kids and still producing at a great rate, so I think the difference in levels [between college hockey and junior hockey] is probably the hardest thing for the scouts to assess. But the fact he's doing this well in college speaks very highly of his game and where he's going."

James' father, Mike Hagens Sr., was a defenseman for three seasons (1997-2000) at SUNY-Brockport, an NCAA Division III school in New York. He coached his sons with the Long Island Royals Under-13 and Under-14 teams in 2019-20.

James spent two seasons at Mount St. Charles (2020-22), and had 115 points (54 goals, 61 assists) in 54 games for the Under-15 team in 2021-22.

"One thing that doesn't get discussed enough is that the rink at Mount St. Charles is a smaller sheet, so you really don't have the same time and space and are grinding, developing smaller games on a tighter sheet," Mike Sr. said. "It forces you to keep your eyes up, to look for options and be quicker in your decision-making. It's the whole USA Hockey small-area-game-mentality."

James moved on to the NTDP in Plymouth, Michigan, in 2022-23 and led the U-18 team with 63 assists, 102 points and an average of 1.76 points per game in 58 games in 2023-24.

"At the NTDP I learned if you want to make it to the next level, want to be able to play hockey in the NHL, you have to be a dog," Hagens said. "You have to learn to compete and that anytime you step on the ice, whether for a practice or game, in the shooting room or the weight room, you have to give it your all. You have to make sure you're ready for the opportunity when it happens."

Hagens has been a reliable force for the United States on an international level too. He had 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in seven games to help the U.S. to a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Finland. It was a single-tournament record, breaking the mark set by Nikita Kucherov in 2011 (21 points; 11 goals, 10 assists with Russia).

He tied for the United States lead with five goals and finished with nine points in seven games to help his country win a second straight gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

Hagens can play center or wing, a position he played following his initial call-up to the NTDP U-18 team in 2022-23 when he had 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 17 games.

As one of six NCAA players attending the NHL Scouting Combine presented by Fanatics this week in Buffalo, Hagens looks forward to speaking with the NHL teams and providing a reason why he should be a top selection.

"I've been to all those important games, whether it's the gold medal game, where there's a lot of stuff on the line, and I've always found ways to come out on top," Hagens said. "I'm someone that will compete until the very last play. I'm someone who will never stop trying to improve and get better. Playing with that relentlessness is something that has helped me get to where I am today."