Boston Bruins
“[I] grew up working for this my whole life.”
James Hagens could play as soon as Saturday for the Bruins. David L Ryan/The Boston Globe
April 9, 2026 | 6:27 PM
3 minutes to read
Fresh off his first skate as a member of the Bruins, James Hagens stressed repeatedly in the locker room that he isn’t looking too far ahead.
The 19-year-old’s first order of business as an NHLer?
“Learn where all the doors open to and learn where everything goes,” Hagens said Thursday of getting his bearings at Warrior Ice Arena. “So that’s first. It’s just staying in the moment.”
For all of the buzz surrounding the Bruins’ top prospect after putting pen to paper on his entry-level contract, Hagens and his new head coach did what they could to temper talk of the skilled forward’s immediate impact on a club seemingly destined for the playoffs.
“This is his day today,” Marco Sturm said of Hagens. “[Friday], we’ll talk about lines and things like that.”
Hagens’s first official day as a Bruin was more about getting the former Boston College standout acclimated to his new teammates — a group that could use his dynamic skating ability and creative playmaking to spark an uneven offense with three games to go.
Hagens’s new stall — with his No. 44 nametag — is situated in the corner of the locker room, next to Mason Lohrei. A few lockers down are veteran defensemen Nikita Zadorov, Hampus Lindholm, and Charlie McAvoy.
Across the room from Hagens? Fraser Minten, the 21-year-old center whose soaring career trajectory should be one Hagens aims to mimic.
Next to Minten is Tanner Jeannot, the pugnacious winger who could be tasked with shepherding Hagens through his first few games against NHL competition.
“It’s pure excitement. Walking in here right away, being able to meet everybody … These are guys that are role models for you, people that you look up to, and now you’re sitting in a stall next to all of them,” Hagens said. “So it’s pretty surreal. It’s really cool, and it’s just something you have to soak in.”
The Bruins lit the lamp five times against the Hurricanes during Tuesday’s overtime defeat in Raleigh, N.C. Hagens’s arrival should give a few critical areas of Boston’s depth chart a spark.
A sputtering power play — 27th (16.4 percent) since returning from the Olympic break — should get more looks if Hagens is the one tasked with ferrying the puck through the neutral zone and manufacturing clean zone entries.
Hagens’s passing ability and edge work make him a dangerous facilitator when stapled to a line with shoot-first forwards.
After scoring 23 goals and 47 points over 34 games as a BC sophomore, Hagens could elevate the scoring capabilities of a Bruins third line that has often found itself stuck in neutral over the last few months.
A spot next to Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie might hold some appeal, while Sturm might also opt to reshuffle his depth chart and slot Hagens next to younger skaters like Minten and an on-ice deterrent such as Jeannot.
Sturm — who praised Hagens’s ability to adjust to the rigors of pro hockey during his six-game stint with Providence (one goal, three assists) — was noncommittal when asked about the young forward’s expected NHL debut.
The next game is a home matinee on Saturday against the Lightning — a club the Bruins could meet in the first round of the playoffs.
“My job is to do the right thing for this team, but also I want to protect this kid,” Sturm said. “It’s not fair sometimes, either to throw players in situations where they can’t handle it or maybe they’re not ready. When is the right time? Next game? Following game? Whatever it is, I will do that. But I need a lot of the right boxes before I do that.”
“It’s where we’re at right now. If I feel like this kid can help us, he’ll play,” Sturm added of Hagens, who is expected to play on the wing this season.
Sturm’s caution is to be expected for a coach well aware of the growing pains that await Hagens as he braces for high-stakes hockey at the sport’s highest level.
It’s a challenge that Hagens welcomes.
“[I] grew up working for this my whole life,” Hagens said when asked if he’s ready for the NHL. “[I] just want it really bad.”
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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