Blackhawks Draft Profiles: James Hagens

The 2025 NHL Entry Draft will take place on June 27 and 28 in Los Angeles, CA. Our first set of Blackhawks Draft Profiles will focus on the possible targets for the third overall pick. Today, we’re looking at the well-rounded center, James Hagens.

Tale of the Tape

Date of Birth: November 3, 2006
Place of Birth: Hauppauge, NY
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 176 pounds
2024-25 Team: Boston College (NCAA)

Player Profile

When the IIHF World Junior Championship concluded, I thought Hagens was the guy for the Chicago Blackhawks. He led the United States to its second straight gold medal with five goals and nine points in seven games. He showed that he can perform on the biggest stages. He scored nine goals and 22 points in seven games at the U18 IIHF World Junior Championship the previous year.

Hagens is coming off a successful freshman season at Boston College, scoring 11 goals and 37 points in 37 games. It wasn’t the dominant freshman season we saw Macklin Celebrini have the previous year, but a point-per-game average at one of the nation’s top programs is impressive.

The biggest criticism of Hagens among Blackhawks fans is his size. If he were an inch taller, to put a 6 in the foot column, there would be far less angst about adding him to the mix. The NHL is not a big man’s game anymore. Yes, you don’t want to have a team full of small forwards, but you win with speed and skill in today’s NHL. That’s what Hagens brings to the table. He has enough talent to make up for being 5-foot-11. Size can be found easily via trades and free agency.

Hagens is a cerebral player. His ability to see and process the game can’t be coached. He utilizes his hockey sense to push the pace of play, then his elite-level skill set finishes off opponents. Hagens fits right into the type of team Kyle Davidson is trying to build. He’s smart, fast, and deadly off the rush. It’s hard to get pushed around by larger players if they can’t catch you. His skating allows him to elude defenders and create open space. Once in the clear, he is equally dangerous shooting the puck or setting up his teammates.

What Experts are Saying

“Hagens is always in motion. He’s exceptionally difficult to check and contain. On the power play, he floats around the offensive zone in an attempt to find open ice and get pucks to the net. In all situations, he displays dogged pursuit of the puck along the boards and works to win back possession for his group.”  – Jason Bukala, Sportsnet

“Hagens’ game is about skating and playmaking. He’s extremely breezy as a skater, making his patterns look easy out there. To use a hockey cliché, he’s on top of the ice, he’s agile, and his stride and edges are dynamic, light, mobile, and adjustable, with legitimate speed and quick acceleration through his crossovers and cuts. He’s got high-end touch and handling and real finesse as a passer or in playing pucks into space for himself. He’s very aware of spacing and timing on the ice and does a good job hitting his spots off the puck to present an option in motion to teammates, as well as finding teammates when they’re open with his vision through layers. He’s got an impressive small-area game and an even more impressive game in open ice, with an ability to take his first touch and put opposing defenders on their heels when he gets the puck.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

“He sees openings before they reveal themselves and weaves in and out of traffic gracefully, impacting plays at all times. Hagens is a real maestro with the disc, manipulating defenses with his high-end mobility and puckhandling. He’s a cerebral distributor who serves crisp and firm outlets with pinpoint accuracy, routinely finding crafty ways to feed his teammates, whether it’s with between-the-legs passes while facing the boards, tip passes, area passes, etc. He generates and exploits switches and movement so well in the offensive zone, doing so until there’s an opening, on which he instantly creates high-grade chances for his teammates.” – Joey Fortin Boulay, FC Hockey

Blackhawks Fit

While I think Michael Misa is the best forward in this draft, Hagens is far from a consolation prize. He is potentially an elite play-making No. 1 center, and who doesn’t want one of those? He does bring some redundancy to the lineup with another smaller forward up front, but if he reaches his potential down the middle, that allows you to play Connor Bedard or Frank Nazar on the wing. The New York Islanders, once they get a general manager, might take Hagens first overall because he’s a local kid. If that’s the case, then the Blackhawks likely get Misa. If the Isles pass and Davidson drafts Hagens, the Blackhawks are a better team.

Video Room

Additional Draft Profiles

Matthew Schaefer
Michael Misa
Porter Martone
Anton Frondell
Caleb Desnoyers
Jack Nesbitt