Bruins Coach Shouts Out Top Draft Picks After Surprising Development

The Boston Bruins have been quite busy over the past few days, as they recently wrapped up the 2025 NHL Draft, while also preparing for the start of free agency. On Monday, the Bruins Development Camp also got underway.

Development camp offers the crop of the Bruins’ recent draft picks and upcoming prospects a chance to hit the ice and get some work in with their team during the offseason. Unsurprisingly, Boston’s top two picks from the 2025 draft, James Hagens and William Moore, are headlining the group of players in attendance this year.

On Monday morning, the B’s announced that neither Hagens nor Moore would be on the ice for the first day of camp, as they both experienced a slew of travel days in their quest to go from Los Angeles, which is where the draft was held, to Boston.

To the surprise of everyone, Hagens and Moore both took the ice on Monday, despite only arriving in town in the early hours of the morning. After the first day of camp, Bruins player development coordinator Adam McQuaid shouted both guys out for skating with their teammates despite their travel woes.

“It says a lot,” McQuaid said when speaking to reporters. “They were given the option (not to skate), came down and told them, and they were like, ‘No, we want to go on.'”

Hagens appears to be the gem of Boston’s draft class, as they selected him with the No. 7 overall pick after he fell to them in the first round. Moore was the team’s second pick, selected with the No. 51 overall selection in the second round.

Hagens and Moore are both centers who will likely spend at least the next season with the Boston College Eagles before finding their way to the pros. However, they managed to make a great first impression with their new team on Monday, so who knows what the future will hold for them.

For now, they will be focused on getting some sleep after what has been a hectic past couple of days. Once they do that, Hagens, Moore, and the rest of the development roster will be back on the ice with the Bruins on Tuesday.