The Bruins’ attention is going to be spread across a lot of familiar faces when training camp opens later this month, but James Hagens will be one of the names drawing the most interest.
Boston’s 2025 first-round pick, selected No. 7 overall, already got a taste of the pro game last spring. After his sophomore season at Boston College, Hagens signed a PTO and spent time with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League before eventually putting pen to paper on his entry-level contract. He appeared in late regular-season action and then skated in the first three games of the playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres.
Now the next step is in front of him: earning a spot on the Opening Night roster for second-year head coach Marco Sturm.
The early buzz around Hagens has been strong enough to land him on The Athletic’s list of 20 Calder Trophy candidates for the upcoming season, where he checked in at No. 10.
That alone says plenty about the kind of upside people see in him. But it was Harman Dayal’s projection that really jumps off the page for Bruins fans.
“With a creative, free-flowing offensive toolkit and a decorated NCAA scoring profile, Hagens has all the ingredients to eventually develop into a legitimate top-six difference-maker,'' wrote Dayal.
That’s the kind of language Boston supporters have been waiting to hear. A legitimate top-six difference-maker is exactly the sort of player the Bruins have been chasing, and exactly the sort of ceiling that makes Hagens such an important piece of the future.
Fraser Minten is another young player who could grow into that kind of role, and if both of them hit, Boston suddenly has real options. For now, though, the more immediate ask for Hagens is simpler: carve out a top-nine role this season and provide the kind of impact the Bruins need right away.
Winning the Calder would be a massive stretch given the amount of elite young talent in the mix. But if Hagens can become a regular contributor and start showing signs of that top-six upside, that would be a major step for him and for the Bruins.
Nobody is expecting him to arrive and be David Pastrnak. What Boston wants is a prospect who can become a full-time difference-maker, and if that starts taking shape in 2026-27, the organization will be in a much better place.
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That is why a recent look at the teams most likely to disappoint in 2026-27 felt a little telling for Boston, even in absence. Joe Yerdons list included Buffalo, Florida, Ottawa and Detroit, but the Bruins were not on it at all, despite the limited upgrades and the broader uncertainty hanging over the division. For a club trying to stay in the playoff mix, being overlooked as a possible underperformer can be its own kind of warning sign. [Read more 🡒]