Way too early to talk about the ‘25 draft seriously but Mooney’s ceiling is probably higher than Hagens and Misa. The kid is slick
F James Hagens - Boston College, NCAA (2025 Draft)
- Thread starter LeProspector
- Start date
Mathieukferland
Registered User
Yes, and during this time period that you’ve provided
Best on Best victories
Canada 5
Czech Republic 1
USA 1
Sweden 1
This isn’t the forum for this discussion though. Also “Europe” is not a national team, so yes you could say Finland for instance has made strides in player development but for national terms purposes “Europe” is quite useless. Since the beginning of the 2020s, Canada has a 45 out of a potential 93 first round picks, nearly three times the next country (USA, 16). So the future looks just fine for Canada.
My opinion of Hagens remains the same, franchise level player with some bite in his game. Will be keen to see how he does at the u18s
There have been no competitions with the best since 2014 and already in 2016 the best Americans were too young to play the World Cup with USA.
Today, what would correspond to an American Olympic squad is very close to Canada. As for the Europeans, if you make a Team Europa, it exceeds Canada with fewer licensees.
Integrating a top 5 draft is more and more complicated for an elite Canadian talent. Last year Wright slipped to 4th, in 2018 if it hadn't been for Arizona's reach on Hayton there wouldn't be any Canadians in the top 5 for the first time in history. It will probably happen in this decade.
You should no longer be surprised to see 2 Americans in the top 5. It has already happened. It will become commonplace and one year, there will be 3. It will inevitably happen. It's over the drafts with top 5 entirely composed of Canadians. It will never happen again.
Canada will always remain an elite nation but it's no longer an isolated country, far above the others. The gaps are closing at all levels and that's fine. It's good for the inclusion and diversity of the league.
Last edited:
SlafySZN
Registered User
- May 21, 2022
- 7,557
- 16,386
You’d compare Mooney and Hagens to which players?
I’ve never seen Mooney play, i’ve seen someone say his style ressemble his cousin’s (Cooley) but he’s gonna be better.
GermanSpitfire
EU Video Scout for McKeen’s | Rest Easy #13
I'd compare Mooney to a Jack Hughes.
Great skater, Insane puck skills, one of the best players in transition I have seen at his age, and reads the ice like few players his age.
I don't know who I would compare Hagens to, Jack Eichel but a better skating stride? That's a tough one.
Mooney plays nearly identical to Jack Hughes. Most times the best player on the ice playing up a year, he is pure skill. Hagens has a bit more of a well rounded game but this is a benefit from playing NTDP. Just a complete player who oozes skill but not afraid to get his nose dirty.
GermanSpitfire
EU Video Scout for McKeen’s | Rest Easy #13
Has now tied the U17 Tournament record for points in a single tournament.
Still some time left to go in the game - so he could still get 19.
Should note he has played one more game than Colin White - take that as you will.
Still some time left to go in the game - so he could still get 19.
Should note he has played one more game than Colin White - take that as you will.
Lavar Ball
Neva Lost
GermanSpitfire
EU Video Scout for McKeen’s | Rest Easy #13
And there it is - just 2 minutes after posting it, Hagens is now in sole position of the top scoring player ever in a single U17 Tournament.
William H Bonney
Registered User
2 g, 3a so far in a gold medal romp over Canada Red. Misa has been largely invisible in this one
GermanSpitfire
EU Video Scout for McKeen’s | Rest Easy #13
Another 2 points.
21 in 7 games. Tying Colin White’s Points Per Game record at the U18‘s now.
JLFGoNicsGo11
Registered User
He and Eiserman are disgusting first time watching one of their games and it did not disappoint…
I kinda hope Hagens goes to Minnesota now so we can keep watching him and Eiserman together in the future. What a show.
I know this will be a hot take but here goes anyways.
Hagens will become a much better player than Colin White.
Ryan Van Horne
aka Scribe
Hagens is like Jack Hughes but with more grit and better defensive awareness -- and a much better shot at the same age.
Dr Jan Itor
Registered User
They're different draft years, are they not? Would they come in the same year?
That would be pretty damn sweet.
William H Bonney
Registered User
Different draft years, yes, but if Hagens goes the NCAA route he'll almost assuredly be accelerating to head to college for his draft year.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
They are also in separate drafts. If you’re a bad team in 2024 and 2025, that might be something to consider.
I'm not sure there are many players on earth with a floor at that level, but he certainly looks on track to be on Jack Hughes' level, if not better.
Ryan Van Horne
aka Scribe
Well, I was going to say "Worst-case scenario: Sidney Crosby" -- but only as a joke. Hughes and Zegras are pretty high floors.
Last edited:
Ryan Van Horne
aka Scribe
I think it's too early to put a floor or a ceiling on Hagens as he just turned 16 and has a year and three quarters of prime development time ahead of him with the NTDP.
I will say this, they're both pretty damn high. Claude Ruel's famous maxim about identifying great players -- "They're the ones with the puck all the time" applies to Hagens, who seems like a puck magnet to me. Great hockey sense and anticipation is what drives his game, but add to that a nice dose of moxie and you're looking at a pretty safe bet.
He also has a plus shot that will improve as he gets stronger and fantastic vision, stickhandling and passing ability, which bode well for future production. If there is one area that I don't have a great read on, it's his skating. While he has a good stride and great edges, I wonder if he's got an extra gear or two as he gets stronger. (I've only seen video of him and haven't had a chance to see him live yet, so perhaps someone who has can give us their thoughts on this.)
Lastly, there is the issue of size, and while I'm not concerned about it when a young player is this skilled, if he grows like his brother Michael who will be 18 in February and is listed at 5-11, 170* on USHL website, that should raise the floor a bit, or at least solidify it.
* both measurements "confirmed by NHL Central Scouting."
William H Bonney
Registered User
Something interesting I noticed. He has 16 goals in 16 games and none are on the PP. Obviously a big part of the U17 game plan is Hagens running the PP on the half wall with the team looking for Eiserman to be the shooter (hence his 9 PP goals), but it still surprised me he hasn't scored on the PP yet. He's thriving potting goals at 5-on-5 which is a huge plus IMO when projecting his long term potential.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
Agree with almost all of this, but I’d like to add that USA Hockey had his older brother at 6’0 160 this summer for the Hlinka Gretzky tournament.
Ryan Van Horne
aka Scribe
Yeah, I've seen those measurements, too, because it said they were verified by NHL Central Scouting. Odd that USA Hockey had him an inch taller but 10 pounds lighter.
