Boston Bruins
“It’s not only that he’s creating chances and getting his points – we know he can do that – he’s really much more well-rounded now.”
James Hagens won Beanpot MVP honors. (Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)
On the same ice that James Hagens will soon call home, the Bruins’ top prospect had the opportunity to hoist some hardware.
The dynamic center played a key part in helping Boston College win its first Beanpot tournament since 2016 on Monday — recording two assists in the Eagles’ 6-2 win over Boston University at TD Garden.
For his efforts, Hagens was named 2026 Beanpot MVP after scoring two goals and five total points over the two-game tournament.
“It is just exciting to be able to get this trophy, not only for us, but for our school and all the fans that showed up today,” Hagens said postgame. “It means a lot. We had a couple guys that played with us that were able to come back and be here tonight. To be able to have their support is awesome – a huge help.”
Hagens — selected in the first round (No. 7 overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft by Boston — now has a team-leading 31 points over 24 games with the Eagles during his sophomore season.
Drafted with the expectation of being a playmaking top-six center in Boston, Hagens has largely spent time on the wing over the last few months with the Eagles.
But BC head coach Greg Brown said that he’s been impressed with how Hagens has evolved in all aspects of his game amid his second year at Chestnut Hill.
“James is always able to create offense. You get drafted that high for a reason – because of the offensive side of the puck, which is the hardest thing to do. But what we’ve really been impressed with is how he’s rounded out his game,” Brown said of Hagens. “We want to put him out now when we’re protecting the lead against the other team’s top players because he’s really added so many dimensions of detail.
“It’s not only that he’s creating chances and getting his points – we know he can do that – he’s really much more well-rounded now. And credit to him for working hard on that stuff.”
Hagens — one of five different Bruins prospects on BC’s roster — wasn’t the only Bruins product to impress on Monday night against the Terriers.
BC senior captain Andre Gasseau (2021 seventh-round pick) also scored two goals for the Eagles on Causeway Street, while Bruins 2024 first-round pick Dean Letourneau also lit the lamp in the victory.
Gasseau now has 15 points in 13 games amid his final collegiate campaign.
“Not just the offense; he brings everything to us. He’s the first over the boards on the PK, first over the boards on the power play,” Brown said of Gasseau, who centered a line next to Hagens on Monday. “He plays against the other team’s top players; he wins faceoffs. He really does everything. Playing center, controlling the ice down low in the defensive zone. There’s not anything that he’s not doing for us.”
Hagens has been as advertised as a skilled playmaking forward since the Bruins drafted him. But Letourneau’s emergence as a sophomore has been a major development for Boston’s burgeoning pipeline of young talent.
After scoring zero goals and just three points over 36 games as a freshman, the 6-foot-7 Letourneau leads the Eagles with 16 goals over 26 games — while adding an additional 12 assists.
While it remains to be seen when Letourneau will make the jump to the pro ranks, the writing is on the wall that Hagens could be playing for the Bruins as soon as late March or early April after the Eagles’ season wraps.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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