Don Sweeney and the Bruins are officially waiting to hear from star prospect James Hagens and his plans for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
And it’s officially real for both sides, as Hagens and the Eagles saw their season come to an end with a 4-3 overtime loss to UConn in the Hockey East semifinals Friday night at TD Garden. The Eagles needed to win the Hockey East tournament to prolong their season and qualify for the NCAA Frozen Four tournament.
Boston’s top pick last June, the belief has long been that Hagens would turn pro following the conclusion of his sophomore season at BC. Upon being drafted, Hagens had outlined winning the Beanpot and a national championship as his main goals for the season prior to inevitably joining the Bruins and playing in the NHL, but his desire to play in the NHL has always been at the forefront of the discussion.
The Eagles also used Hagens on the wing more than they did at center this season, which is where the Bruins envisioned him beginning his NHL career.
The Hockey East scoring champ this past season, Hagens posted 13 goals and 28 points in 24 games of Hockey East action for Greg Brown’s Boston College squad, giving him a three-point edge on Maine’s Josh Nadeau as the conference’s top scorer and earning a nod as a finalist for Hockey East Player of the Year honors.
Overall, Hagens finished with 21 goals and 42 points in 32 games, and his 21 goals were the eighth-most among all NCAA scorers while his 42 points ranked 14th.
Most recently, Hagens was named a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
If the Bruins sign Hagens right out of the gate, he could easily slot in on Boston’s third line without much resistance from the coaching staff. That third line has had a revolving door for what feels like months now between Alex Steeves, Mikey Eyssimont, and now recent AHL recall Lukas Reichel. But if the Bruins think Hagens needs pro seasoning before joining the NHL club, he could join the P-Bruins on an amateur tryout agreement. But if the Bruins go that route, Hagens would be ineligible to be recalled and play for Boston until signing his entry-level contract.
For some reason history with this path, Ryan Donato signed right out of Harvard and joined the Bruins late in the 2017-18 season without reporting to Providence. Charlie McAvoy, meanwhile, joined Providence on an amateur tryout before injuries forced the Bruins to formally sign him to a deal and join the Bruins in the 2017 playoffs.
The Bruins would likely want to get Hagens acclimated with a practice or two should he report right to the NHL, making next Tuesday against the Maple Leafs the earliest possible date for his debut assuming that he signs his contract with Boston.