Boston College freshman James Hagens is a competitive, highly skilled center with elite vision, speed, playmaking, and smart two-way play. He’s already collected ample international medals and made a strong NCAA impact in his debut season, earning him a high reputation as a crafty, dynamic center. Although he’s dropped down some draft boards due to his size and a freshman year at BC that was respectable but not necessarily spectacular, Hagens isn’t a contender for the No. 1 overall pick anymore but he’s still one of the best in this class — which is why the Hawks could have an eye on him at No. 3.
Summary
Hagens has long been the top American prospect — sometimes even the top prospect period — heading into the 2025 NHL Draft. He first made a statement during the 2022-23 season as part of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, going a point per game no matter what league he was playing.
First, he lit up the scoresheet with the U17 squad, finishing second on that team with 66 points (26 G, 40 A) in 43 games. This earned Hagens a call-up to the U18 team, where he added another 19 points (7 G, 12 A) in 17 games — quite impressive for a 16-year-old. He also finished with 40 points (17 G, 23 A) in 31 games with the USNTDP Juniors in the USHL.
Hagens carried that momentum into the 2023–24 season: his 102 points (39 G, 63 A) in 53 games gave him the seventh best point-per-game rate (1.61) on the U.S. National U18 Team, just behind Auston Matthews (1.68) and Clayton Keller (1.67) but ahead of players like Patrick Kane (1.58), Matthew Tkachuk (1.46), and Jack Eichel (1.40). He also picked up another 47 points (18 G, 29 A) in 26 games with the NTDP’s USHL team.
After these performances, it’s no wonder Hagens was often considered the the top prospect heading into the 2024-25 season. Unfortunately, his offensive performance as a freshman at Boston College saw him drop from such lofty aspirations. He did produce at a point-per-game rate with 37 points (11 G, 26 A) in 37 games and elevated his two-way play, but after flourishing offensively in other leagues, the lack of production knocked him down a bit.
HAGENS TAKES THE LEAD FOR THE EAGLES WITH ONE MINUTE TO GO!!!!!#NCAAHockey x ? ESPNU / @BC_MHockey pic.twitter.com/n5nMy2lieq
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 28, 2025
On the international stage, Hagens has worn the red, white, and blue with distinction at
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