Boston Bruins
“I will help him with the structure, but I don’t want him to lose that skill and touch that he’s had in the past.”
James Hagens is entering his first full season in pro hockey. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
August 31, 2026 | 5:44 PM
4 minutes to read
If the Bruins want to take another collective step forward in 2026-27, a lot will be riding on how much Boston’s next wave of young talent can pull on the rope and supplement the expected results generated by franchise players like David Pastrnak, Jeremy Swayman, and Charlie McAvoy.
That includes 19-year-old James Hagens, who has just five total games of NHL experience (postseason included) on his ledger entering his first full year of pro hockey.
Even with his limited reps at hockey’s highest level, there’s a lot to like about what the Bruins’ top prospect could bring to Boston’s lineup when it comes to speed, playmaking prowess, and transition skills in the middle-six grouping.
But even if the seventh-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft has the makings of a future top-six stalwart and lethal offensive-zone cog, expectations should still be tempered as far as just how much of a tangible impact Hagens will make this year — especially in the fall.
James Hagens has his first career NHL point.
First man in on the forecheck, ties up two skaters, and buys time before Jokiharju’s goal.
2-1 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/Xd7VJ1gndt
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 12, 2026
As such, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm cautioned against a scenario in which the Boston College product is prescribed heavy reps on the power play or stapled to an offensive conduit like Pastrnak right from the get-go this season.
As intriguing as it might be to see what a gifted youngster like Hagens could do feeding Pastrnak one-timers on the man advantage in October, Sturm expects a gradual ramp-up of Hagens’ responsibilities over time — with earning a spot on the NHL roster standing as the first order of business during training camp.
“Just talking about my young kids, I am not a guy that will give them everything right away,” Sturm said on the “Bruins Beat” podcast with Evan Marinofsky this past week. “I do not … they have to deserve it first. They have to show me, and then I will give them that little bit more.
Marco Sturm on the young guys: “I’m not a guy who will give them everything right away.”
Thought it was a telling answer on what he expects out of James Hagens this year.
Also some great insight on Fraser Minten: pic.twitter.com/T6DeW6Jnkr
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) August 28, 2026
“For example, going back to Fraser Minten, there were times when I remember [assistant coach] Steve Spott was telling me about putting him on the power play. And I always said ‘Nope…nope…nope.’ Can he do it? Absolutely. But he is not allowed yet, and I kind of waited and waited until I felt like he was ready to take that next step, and that he was ready to take on a few more minutes. And then we go from there…and it wasn’t just Minten. [Marat] Khusnutdinov, too.
“So there are steps in my coaching that [a player] has to hit and boxes they have to check … And Hagens will be the same kind of a guy. We’re not going to be putting him on the first unit power play [right away]. Could he help us there? Maybe…probably. I don’t know. But he’s going to earn it first because there’s a lot of other guys that have done the work, compete hard every day, and [to move them] just because there’s a first-round pick coming in? It’s not what they need. It’s a process.”
Sturm’s comments might rankle some Bruins fans who don’t want to see Hagens begin his pro career in more of a two-way role further down the lineup — or potentially in Providence this fall.
But as Sturm noted, the Bruins’ bench boss might similarly handle Hagens as he did with both Minten and Khusnutdinov last year. Both players may not boast the same upside offensively as Hagens, but the duo became key members of Sturm’s forward corps as the 2025-26 campaign progressed.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing, with Khusnutdinov scratched for several games to begin the regular season and Minten opening the fall as a participant in the Prospects Challenge before gradually earning a roster spot during the preseason.
By the end of the year, Khusnutdinov served as a Swiss Army Knife for Sturm all across the lineup, while Minten saw extended top-six reps alongside Pastrnak en route to a very promising rookie season.
If Hagens pops during training camp and preseason play, the Bruins’ gifted forward should be granted an extended runway to find his footing in the NHL — even if his waiver-exempt status could further complicate things when roster cuts loom for an already crowded depth chart.
Still, Sturm stressed that he was impressed with what Hagens showcased last year between stints in Providence and Boston — and that the young forward doesn’t need to overthink anything going into his rookie year with the club.
“I love the way he played at the end of last season. I love that he went to Providence. There were a lot of good things. Did we see the offense that he usually [generated] in college? No, but he didn’t want to make any mistakes. He did absolutely okay,” Sturm said of Hagens. “This year I think he should come out and just play the game.
“I will help him with the structure, but I don’t want him to lose that skill and touch that he’s had in the past. That’s why we drafted him so high. There are a lot of good things and if he can provide those to us 5-on-5 and on the power play, then he is going to get those opportunities.”
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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