Boston’s first-round pick last June — No. 7 overall in the NHL Draft — will wear No. 12 with the spoked-P’s and play his first AHL game Wednesday night in Springfield against the Thunderbirds.

“It was fun,” said a smiling Hagens. “It was really exciting being out there. … My first pro practice, it’s definitely something I’ll never forget.”

For the record, the forward can still sign his entry level NHL contract and make his debut this season if the organization sees fit.

Hagens’s two-year run at Boston College came to an end Friday night in the Hockey East semifinals. The league’s leading scorer (23 goals, 47 points) and a Hobey Baker finalist, Hagens called the last few days “exciting,” as he let his agent and the Bruins map out his next hockey steps. He credited his older brother and BC teammate, Michael, with being a sounding board the last few days.

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The Bruins signee said he was looking for an opportunity to play and was on board with starting in Providence.

“Once I heard that, I was really open for it,” he said. “It’s a great chance to be able to showcase your game, to be able to be a part of a team like this, to be able to be around a group like this as well. You can learn so much, so it’s so great.”

The length of his stay in Providence is not a matter of concern to Hagens.

“You let agents talk and deal with that stuff,” he said. “I want to be able to play hockey and to be able to have this opportunity. It’s something that you just have to try to run with.”

Still just 19, Hagens (he will turn 20 in November), said the chance to prove himself at the next level is something he is looking forward to.

“I love it. There’s a saying, nothing’s given, everything’s earned,” said Hagens, who counted Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy among those who have reached out since he signed. “So, it’s just knowing that you have to earn a spot wherever you go. So, it’s going out there, it’s working your hardest. It’s trying to show everything you’ve worked for [and] hopefully it pays off.”

Hagens had several mini-tutorial sessions on the ice with the Providence staff and his new teammates as he got the lowdown on how practices are run and the details of the drills.

He will start at left wing for Providence on a line with Patrick Brown at center and Matej Blumel on the right side, and said the players have welcomed him with open arms.

“I’m super grateful that these guys have been so accepting of me coming in today,” he said. “The second I walked through those doors, they were able to help me out on the ice, just having little convos about what to expect. The drills out there, where to go, what to do. So, something that I’m super grateful for right now. It’s such a good group of guys in that locker room and to be around them, it’s something that you just have to soak in.”

Hagens’s belongings remain at his BC dorm — “Still figuring that stuff out,” he said — and that his plan is to get his degree at some point.

Though he hasn’t had a lot of family time lately, he was able to attend a tournament his sister, Emma, 16, played in recently in the Boston area.

“It was great being able to be around family, have my parents come up,” he said.

Providence coach Ryan Mougenel, who noted there’s “no easing guys in,” at the AHL level, said the communication in the Bruins organization is excellent and that everyone is on the same page with what they want to see from Hagens’s development.

“We want him to enjoy it. We want him to get his feet wet. We want him to feel contact, I think that’s important,” said Mougenel. “I think the one thing I did say to James today is that the American League’s a really good league and there’s going to be times you might be a little bit frustrated. It’s totally natural. It’s part of the process. It’s part of understanding what you can and what you can’t do. And there’ll be those moments.

“There’s going to be teaching moments and just to absorb it, to be a sponge and to ask questions, be inquisitive. All those things that I think he already is in his daily grind. You don’t get the success that James has had by not being inquisitive and putting the time in. So, I’m excited for him. I just think we’ve got a lot of different guys that can help him along the way.”

As for some of the Bruins other prospects at BC, general manager Don Sweeney said the expectation is Dean Letourneau, the club’s first rounder in 2024, will return to The Heights for another season. “[If] that changes between now and some time in the future we can revisit it, but at this point in time, the indications are that he’s going to go back,” the general manager said at TD Garden before the Bruins hosted the Maple Leafs . . . As for Oskar Jellvik and Andre Gasseau, Sweeney said he’s having talks and will have “a little more concrete answer in the next couple of days.” . . . Sweeney said his staff has identified some college free agents they have their eyes on, including some that are participating in the NCAA Tournament. “They have lots of options and they generally take their time and make what they think is the best decision, but hopefully we’re part of that,” he said.

Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him @globejimmcbride.