James Hagens of Boston College in Hockey East will file a draft diary for NHL.com this season leading up to the 2025 NHL Draft. The 17-year-old center (5-foot-10, 177 pounds), who was born in Hauppauge, New York, is an A rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and a projected first-round pick. He has five points (one goal, four assists) in three games for BC this season. Hagens led the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team with 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) in 58 games last season. He had 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in seven games to help the United States earn a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Finland.
Hello hockey fans.
I'm glad to have an opportunity to provide some monthly thoughts in a draft diary for NHL.com this season. To start things off, here's my story of how I got here and how excited I am to begin my first season at Boston College.
I have an older brother, Mike, and younger sister, Emma. I just remember there being a lot of chaos when I was younger when mom and dad had to get us to practice every day and I had to make sure my schoolwork was done. Having three kids, our parents did so much, driving us to all the games and tournaments. It's a lot. All the extra skates we participated in, it was a big thing for a family. Hockey has always been a huge piece in our lives.
My brother, a defenseman, plays with me at Boston College this year and my sister, a forward, plays for a girls' team on Long Island, the Portledge School. Emma's a really good player, and hopefully she ends up with us at BC someday.
My dad (Mike) was a defenseman when he played. He was kind of the reason why my whole family is wrapped around hockey and got introduced to it. He's a big New York Islanders fan so we kind of grew up watching the Isles and then he kind of got us on the ice right away, and we just fell in love with it. We'd be at the rink a ton and he built a backyard rink for our family. There's nothing better than just walking out to your backyard when there's snow on the ground and playing some hockey until mom calls you in for dinner. Those are good times.
As far as my game goes, I like to drive the pace, skate with the puck, make plays, create offense, and just make stuff happen. I like watching players like Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils) and Logan Cooley (Utah Hockey Club) since they're guys who kind of slow the game down, drive play, and are able to create opportunities. There's not a lot of room out there and it's a fast game, it's tough. Hughes and Cooley are always thinking out there, they use their hockey IQ to develop plays under pressure, and that's what I want to do.