James Hagens is an American centre drafted seventh overall by the Boston Bruins in 2025. At the 2024 U18 World Championship he scored 22 points, breaking the tournament record Nikita Kucherov had set in 2011. He left Boston College in March 2026 and signed a three-year entry-level contract with Boston in April.
| Fast facts: James Hagens | |
|---|---|
| Current team | Boston Bruins |
| Position | Centre, also left wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| Born | 3 November 2006, Hauppauge, New York |
| Height / weight | 5’11” / 193 lbs, per the Bruins |
| Drafted | 2025, first round, 7th overall, Boston Bruins |
| Contract status | Three-year entry-level contract signed 8 April 2026, running through 2027-28 at a $975,000 cap hit |
| Jersey | No. 44 |
What record does James Hagens hold?
James Hagens holds the scoring record for the U18 World Championship. In 2024 he had nine goals and 13 assists in seven games for the United States, 22 points, one more than Nikita Kucherov’s 21 in 2011. He was named tournament MVP and best forward, and the United States took silver after losing the final 6-4 to Canada. “Records are records, but the most unreal moments are being with the guys, going through the games and the ups and downs,” he told USA Hockey.
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At the 2022 World U-17 Hockey Challenge he had already set a tournament record, with 21 points in seven games. He won U18 gold in 2023, and World Junior gold in 2025 with nine points in seven games, on a team that included defenceman Cole Hutson. At the 2026 World Juniors he was an alternate captain and had seven points in five games before the United States went out to Finland in the quarter-final, and in May 2026 he played his first senior World Championship.
What are James Hagens’s career stats?
James Hagens played two seasons in the US National Team Development Program and two at Boston College.
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | US National U17 Team | USNTDP | 43 | 26 | 40 | 66 |
| 2022-23 | US National U18 Team | USNTDP | 17 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| 2023-24 | US National U18 Team | USNTDP | 58 | 39 | 63 | 102 |
| 2024-25 | Boston College | NCAA | 37 | 11 | 26 | 37 |
| 2025-26 | Boston College | NCAA | 34 | 23 | 24 | 47 |
| 2025-26 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2025-26 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025-26 | Boston Bruins | NHL playoffs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
His 187 points in the development program ranked fifth in its history when he left, according to the Bruins. In his second college season he was a First Team All-American, won the Hockey East scoring title, was fifth in the country in goals, finished in the top ten for the Hobey Baker Award and was MVP as Boston College won its first Beanpot since 2016. He ended his college career on a 14-game point streak with 12 goals and 12 assists. Twelve of his 23 goals for Boston College in 2025-26, more than half, came during that streak.
Is James Hagens going back to Boston College?
No. James Hagens left Boston College in March 2026 and turned professional, which ended his NCAA eligibility. He joined the AHL’s Providence Bruins on an amateur tryout on 24 March and had four points in six games. On 8 April he signed his entry-level contract with Boston, and on 12 April he made his NHL debut in a 3-2 win over Columbus, setting up a goal by Henri Jokiharju in 13:08 of ice time on a line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov. His second regular-season game came two days later against New Jersey.
He played the first three games of Boston’s first-round series against Buffalo and was scratched for Game 4. “James didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing,” head coach Marco Sturm said. Buffalo won the series in six games.
Why did James Hagens fall in the draft?
James Hagens was once projected as a possible first overall pick in 2025, and NHL.com profiled him as a contender for No. 1 before his draft year. Other prospects rose past him during the season, and on 27 June 2025 in Los Angeles, Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa and Anton Frondell went first, second and third. Boston took him seventh, and Adam Sandler announced the pick in character as Happy Gilmore.
“I’ve got to go out there next year and prove everyone that passed on me wrong,” Hagens said on draft night.
Will James Hagens make the Bruins roster?
Going into 2026-27 training camp, he had to earn a place. Boston’s rookie camp opened on 11 September, the prospects were scheduled to play two games against Buffalo’s rookies on 13 and 14 September, and main camp was due to open on 16 September. The regular season starts on 29 September against the New York Rangers, and our guide to how to watch the Boston Bruins has the channels.
Position is part of the question. Hagens is a natural centre but played the left wing in all his NHL games, and Sturm told the Boston Globe he was leaning towards the wing again, while adding that he “could really see him as a centerman here someday.” Media projections in the summer of 2026 had him in Boston’s bottom six, competing with Fraser Minten for a job.
What is James Hagens’s contract?
James Hagens’s three-year entry-level contract with Boston carries a $975,000 cap hit, according to the Bruins. The deal began in 2025-26, so the first year is already used, and it is worth $2,925,000 in total. It runs through 2027-28, and he is due to become a restricted free agent in 2028, according to PuckPedia’s contract data.
Why does James Hagens wear 44?
James Hagens wore No. 4 with the Long Island Royals, and in Boston that number is retired for Bobby Orr, so he doubled it and took 44, WEEI reported. He wore No. 10 at Boston College and No. 12 in Providence, where No. 10 was already taken.
Where is James Hagens from, and how tall is he?
James Hagens was born on 3 November 2006 in Hauppauge, on Long Island, New York, and grew up skating on a backyard rink. His father, Mike Hagens Sr., a former college defenceman, coached him with the Long Island Royals. He attended Mount St. Charles Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and played for its 14U and 15U teams from 2020 to 2022 before moving to the development program. His older brother, Michael, also plays college hockey.
The Bruins list him at 5’11” and 193 lbs. EliteProspects lists him at 176 lbs.
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