The Bruins made it official Monday night and signed forward James Hagens to an AHL amateur tryout. He will practice with Providence on Tuesday.
“We’re very excited to have James join the Bruins organization and take this next step,” said general manager Don Sweeney in a statement released by the organization. “James is an important part of our future, and this is a great opportunity for him to get immediate experience at the professional level in Providence and continue his development while keeping all options open.”
Hagens, 19, was selected by the Bruins with the seventh overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft and just completed his sophomore season at Boston College, where he led Hockey East in goals (23) and points (47) in 34 games. He was named a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the nation’s top college hockey player.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
His 1.38 points per game led Hockey East and tied for sixth nationally. He posted two goals and three assists to lead BC to its 21st Beanpot championship, and was named the tournament MVP.
This past year he lined up at center and on the wing for the Eagles, something BC coach Greg Brown addressed after their season ended with a 4-3 overtime loss to UConn in the Hockey East semifinals last Friday.
“It’s good to be able to play every position, because one, you just have the diversity of it. Two, when you go to your pro team, which would likely be the Bruins at some point, if they have centers, are you going to tell them you don’t play wing? No, you’re going to say, ‘Yeah, I can play wing,’ ” said Brown.
“For him, he actually played both wings. So to have that experience and be successful at that just gives him more dimensions. You want to be able to say yes to any question they ask where you can play, and he did that very well.”
Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney.