James Hagens left Buffalo looking every bit like Boston’s top prospect, and then some.
The Bruins’ seventh-overall pick from the 2025 NHL Draft scored six goals across two games at the Prospects Showcase, turning the event into his personal finishing clinic. After putting up two goals in Boston’s 6-2 win over the Sabres’ showcase roster, Hagens came back Monday and carried the Bruins to a 4-3 overtime win by scoring all four of their goals, including the winner.
Every one of those goals came on a wrist shot. The overtime blast rose high past Buffalo goalie Samuel Meloche and knocked the water bottle off the top of the net.
That kind of shot was part of Hagens’ offseason focus, and he said spending the summer in Boston gave him a real chance to sharpen it.
“That’s definitely something I worked on over the summer,” Hagens said Monday. “Just trying to work on everything, honestly.
The skills coaches over at Boston were able to help me out a lot. I have to give them a lot of credit … I think it stems from the weight room, too.
“That definitely helps. Being able to spend the summer in Boston, being able to be around the players and the staff, they got me ready for this.”
For a player known for speed, edge work, and vision, the scoring outburst was a reminder that Hagens isn’t just a playmaker. He can beat goalies himself, too.
Providence Bruins head coach Trent Whitfield said the performance matched the hype.
“He’s as advertised,” Whitfield said after Monday’s win. “I mean, he comes out, he generates offense, and then just an elite shot.
He proved that today, right? I mean, six goals in two games.
I mean, what else is there to say? I mean, he makes plays.
He’s not afraid. He gets in there.
He’s competing. Went to the net, and he scores four goals for us.
So really, not too much else to say there. He looks like he’s in good form, going into camp.
So good to see that.”
Hagens’ numbers stood out even more because of how compressed this stretch is for Boston’s young players. With only four preseason games on the schedule, a strong showing in Buffalo carries real weight. The Bruins are set to hold their first full training-camp practice Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena.
Hagens said the point of the showcase wasn’t just the stat line.
“Yeah, it’s just being able to feel good out there,” Hagens said. “You come here, you want to be able to play the right way. There’s a lot of things that I could have cleaned up.
“It doesn’t matter what the score sheet says. So it’s going to be tough. You want to make the team, and you want to be able to show well, and you just gotta put your head down and work.”
Hagens wasn’t the only Bruins prospect who stood out over the two-game run.
Dans Locmelis finished with a goal and three assists, and the Boston prospect looked comfortable after shoulder surgery in March. He was Boston’s No. 6 prospect this summer, and while making the NHL roster out of camp looks like a long shot, his smarts and 200-foot game could make him a name to watch later on. The article pointed to him as a possible eventual replacement for Sean Kuraly as Boston’s 4C in 2027-28 and beyond.
Jaxsin Vaughan also made his mark Monday when he dropped the gloves with Buffalo prospect Brayden Holberton. Holberton had trucked Cole Chandler on Sunday and then landed punches in a scrum with Nolan Renwick. Vaughan answered the next day by flooring Holberton with a few heavy hooks, earning a stick tap from his teammates.
Defenseman Cullen McCrate, Boston’s seventh-round pick in June, added another promising showing. The mobile blueliner set up Locmelis’ goal on Sunday by putting a puck on net for the forward to finish, then handled overtime duty Monday as Boston’s go-to defenseman. McCrate, who will play in the OHL this season before heading to Michigan State in 2027-28, showed offensive touch, a willingness to play physical, and even a key sweep check that broke up a 3-on-1 on Sunday.
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James Hagens wasted no time giving Bruins fans something to watch for at the 2026 Prospects Showcase, scoring twice in Bostons 6-2 win over Buffalo. The offense was spread around, too, with six different players finding the net in a strong opening performance that gave the Bruins a clean first impression in tournament play.
Hagens scored once in the second period and added another in the third, and the timing only helped sharpen the buzz around his night. Boston is back on the ice Monday, with the next game set to be streamed, and after an opener like this, there will be plenty of eyes on whether the early momentum carries over. [Read more 🡒]
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Now the assignment shifts from learning the ropes to applying those lessons in real time. Exhibition games like this are where Boston can start sorting out how Hagens creates offense, how hard he competes when the puck isnt on his stick, and whether he can handle the physical side of the pro game as he works toward a role in the NHL. [Read more 🡒]
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