F James Hagens - Boston College, NCAA (2025 Draft)

[Mathieukferland]

McKenzie used a scout quote saying Hagens’ size was a concern, which was always bullshit

You have a good view of players, you’ve probably watched him more than me. In the 10 or so games l’ve seen, his propensity to get outmuscled in small areas was something I did notice, and for someone where the off puck play is the main facet of his game, that could be a concern. It hasn’t stopped players like Point or Marner from becoming great defensive players, but he will need to adjust the way in which he operates in small space, improving on stick play and having to rely less on body on body. It’s a small detail, but I don’t think it’s an unwarranted criticism to remark that his slight frame could cause some issues given his play style.

TSN just posted a YT video calling Martone a “Potential 1st overall pick.

Martone is not in Hagens’ class, end of story.

I agree that Hagens is better than Martone, and my personal opinion is that he’s the safest pick if a team decides to pick forward. But the gap is not such that, especially with how size obsessed NHL GMs (wrongly) are, that Martone’s physical package could lead a few of them down the garden path; wouldn’t be my pick but there are a lot of dinosaurs still around

 

[MichaelFarrell]

Hagens already cemented himself as a 1st overall pick months before the season. He’s done nothing wrong - literally nothing — that would change that. The narrative shifted with Martone lighting up a joke league.

Did you see them head to head in August? Huge disparity in a big game. One guy was beyond sloppy and invisible, the other wasn’t. Flip the script and the narrative would hurt Hagens’ status.

Also, Martone is in his third OHL season with a massive size advantage playing against 16-19 YO dmen with a minor threat of physicality. Put Martone in the NCAA and facing Augustine, Posch, and Slukynsky in the early season, and I guarantee you he’s not padding the stats that make people like yourself think he’s in the conversation. And even still, Hagens is leading Boston College in scoring.

I’ll buy Schaefer going 1OA over Hagens than Martone.

I don’t see how a player can cement himself as the 1st overall before the season starts. At this age, players improve rapidly. You, and others that do rankings, are putting way too much stock into international tournaments. You probably still have Benak listed top 15 if that’s the case (like most early lists did). Hagens also played with the same exact teammates all year before the tournament and he still had similar numbers to Martone.

I bet Martone would do really well in the NCAA. He is far more skilled than the average NCAA player and has the physical frame to play against older competition. The OHL is a good league. We aren’t talking about a player in the QMJHL or BCHL. If you put Martone on that BC power play, he’d probably have the same type of numbers. Most players cannot do what Martone is currently doing in the OHL. He’s a great talent.

I’m not against Hagens. I think he’s a good player. Hagens provides a lot when he is on the ice but so does Martone. Matthew Schaffer, Michael Misa, and even Victor Eklund are also great players who continue to show a ton of growth in their game. I still think it’s crazy for someone who evaluates prospects to just say that the OHL is a joke league (especially when almost 40 players were taken from the OHL last year alone.)