{"id":562409,"date":"2026-03-25T02:36:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T02:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/562409\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T02:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T02:36:08","slug":"james-hagens-signs-on-with-bruins-jumps-right-in-to-practice-with-ahl-providence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/562409\/","title":{"rendered":"James Hagens signs on with Bruins, jumps right in to practice with AHL Providence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boston\u2019s first-round pick last June<\/a> \u2014 No. 7 overall in the NHL Draft \u2014 will wear No. 12 with the spoked-P\u2019s and play his first AHL game Wednesday night in Springfield against the Thunderbirds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fun,\u201d said a smiling Hagens. \u201cIt was really exciting being out there. … My first pro practice, it\u2019s definitely something I\u2019ll never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the record, the forward can still sign his entry level NHL contract and make his debut this season if the organization sees fit.<\/p>\n

Hagens\u2019s two-year run at Boston College came to an end Friday night in the Hockey East semifinals<\/a>. The league\u2019s leading scorer (23 goals, 47 points) and a Hobey Baker finalist, Hagens called the last few days \u201cexciting,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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The Bruins signee said he was looking for an opportunity to play and was on board with starting in Providence.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I heard that, I was really open for it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s 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\u2019s so great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The length of his stay in Providence is not a matter of concern to Hagens.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou let agents talk and deal with that stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to be able to play hockey and to be able to have this opportunity. It\u2019s something that you just have to try to run with.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it. There\u2019s a saying, nothing\u2019s given, everything\u2019s earned,\u201d said Hagens, who counted Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy<\/a> among those who have reached out since he signed. \u201cSo, it\u2019s just knowing that you have to earn a spot wherever you go. So, it\u2019s going out there, it\u2019s working your hardest. It\u2019s trying to show everything you\u2019ve worked for [and] hopefully it pays off.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super grateful that these guys have been so accepting of me coming in today,\u201d he said. \u201cThe 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\u2019m super grateful for right now. It\u2019s such a good group of guys in that locker room and to be around them, it\u2019s something that you just have to soak in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hagens\u2019s belongings remain at his BC dorm \u2014 \u201cStill figuring that stuff out,\u201d he said \u2014 and that his plan is to get his degree at some point.<\/p>\n

Though he hasn\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was great being able to be around family, have my parents come up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Providence coach Ryan Mougenel<\/a>, who noted there\u2019s \u201cno easing guys in,\u201d 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\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want him to enjoy it. We want him to get his feet wet. We want him to feel contact, I think that\u2019s important,\u201d said Mougenel. \u201cI think the one thing I did say to James today is that the American League\u2019s a really good league and there\u2019s going to be times you might be a little bit frustrated. It\u2019s totally natural. It\u2019s part of the process. It\u2019s part of understanding what you can and what you can\u2019t do. And there\u2019ll be those moments. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s 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\u2019t get the success that James has had by not being inquisitive and putting the time in. So, I\u2019m excited for him. I just think we\u2019ve got a lot of different guys that can help him along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for some of the Bruins other prospects at BC, general manager Don Sweeney said the expectation is Dean Letourneau, the club\u2019s first rounder in 2024, will return to The Heights for another season. \u201c[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\u2019s going to go back,\u201d the general manager said at TD Garden before the Bruins hosted the Maple Leafs . . . As for Oskar Jellvik and Andre Gasseau, Sweeney said he\u2019s having talks and will have \u201ca little more concrete answer in the next couple of days.\u201d . . . Sweeney said his staff has identified some college free agents they have their eyes on, including some that are participating in the NCAA Tournament. \u201cThey have lots of options and they generally take their time and make what they think is the best decision, but hopefully we\u2019re part of that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @globejimmcbride<\/a>.<\/p>\n