James Hagens was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, marking the beginning of his professional career and the culmination of his Long Island career.
It was all smiles on the forward’s face as he was picked by the Boston Bruins on Friday, June 27.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to go back to Boston,” Hagens said on draft day. “To be able to come back and play for the Bruins is unbelievable.”
Hagens grew up in Hauppauge and played youth hockey for the Long Island Royals, based in Kings Park.
In 2020, Hagens began playing for Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island, which has produced several NHL talents.
For the 14U team, Hagens recorded 57 points in 27 games. His production skyrocketed during his age-15 season, when he played in 57 games, scored 57 goals, and scored 115 points.
Hagens was selected to play with the U.S. National U17 and U18 Development Program teams during his junior season, where he continued to thrive.
During his senior year, Hagens scored 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) in 58 games with the U18 team.
By the end of his high school career, Hagens had also collected a slew of hardware. He had won multiple gold medals at the international level and was also named the MVP of the U18 World Junior Classic.
Hagens eventually decided to play in the NCAA, choosing Boston College as his next destination. At the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, Boston College had 17 alumni in the league.
Hagens scored at a point-per-game pace over 37 games and was named to the NCAA All-Rookie Team during his freshman season.
The New York Islanders, Hagens’ favorite team growing up, held the number one selection in the draft. Hagens publicly said that his preference was to play for the Islanders.
“I want to be able to win a Stanley Cup as an Islander,” Hagens previously said on the NHL Draft Class podcast. “The last time I think they raised the cup, my dad was a little kid, and it’d mean a lot to my family, to the people of Long Island, to everyone that supports the team, to be able to bring the Stanley Cup home and raise it one day on the Island. Being able to do that where you grow up, where all your friends and family are, it’s special.”
The team went to select OHL standout defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick.
The Islanders were reportedly interested in trading up in the draft to select Hagens. The team acquired the 16th and 17th picks in a trade that morning with the Montreal Canadiens. Rumors suggested that the team could possibly package those picks to have a chance at bringing Hagens home.
But that never came to fruition.
The Islanders didn’t make a trade and Hagens was selected seventh overall by the Bruins, having his name called by Adam Sandler, a lifetime Bruins fan.
Hagens isn’t the first Long Island native to be selected to the NHL.
Kyle Palmieri, one of the Islanders’ top forwards, is a native of Smithtown and has been in the league for well over a decade.
Adam Fox won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenceman during the 2020-21 season and has been a member of the New York Rangers since 2019. He grew up playing hockey in Jericho.
One of Hagens’ new teammates, Charlie McAvoy, has been one of the league’s top defencemen over the past few seasons, and he grew up in Long Beach.
Reports suggest that Hagens will go back to playing at Boston College next season, meaning his NHL debut may come after the 2025-26 season.
