Where Bruins’ James Hagens Ranks Among Top NHL Prospects

Boston Bruins prospect James Hagens is seen as one of the top NHL prospects in not just the 2025 NHL draft, but overall.

In a top 100 drafted NHL prospects rankings article posted by the Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, Hagens was placed in tier 2 at No. 8.

Wheeler’s criteria to be considered a prospect are that the player has to be under 23 years old and not fully established with their organization’s NHL team.

While the 18-year-old is ranked below players like Zeev Buium and Sam Dickinson, he was ranked higher than players who were drafted higher than him during the 2025 NHL Draft. Hagens was drafted at No . 7 in the first round by the Bruins, but Caleb Desnoyers, who was drafted at No. 4 by the Utah Mammoth, was ranked lower by Wheeler.

“Hagens’ game is about skating and playmaking. He’s extremely breezy as a skater, making his patterns look easy out there. To use a hockey cliche, he’s on top of the ice, he’s agile and his stride and edges are dynamic, light, mobile and adjustable, with legitimate speed and quick acceleration through his crossovers and cuts,” Wheeler wrote.

Hagens will likely go into his sophomore year at Boston College as the Eagles’ top line center. As a freshman, he totaled 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points.

Wheeler compares Hagens’ style of play to Utah’s Logan Cooley, who has been a bright spot in the Mammoth’s lineup.

“Hagens profiles as a top-of-the-lineup, play-creating center in the NHL with a similar profile to Utah’s Logan Cooley,’ Wheeler wrote. “I remain a big believer in him and his game, and expect him to be one of the top forwards in college hockey as a sophomore and outperform his draft slot in his career.”

Boston just had one other player make the list, with Matt Poitras coming in towards the bottom at No. 88.