F James Hagens - USNTDP Juniors, USHL (2025 Draft)

[CheckingLineCenter]

I was more pointing to the fact that Notre Dame plays a very conservative, defensive style. I don't think it's a great fit for a guy like Hagens who plays a dynamic offensive game. He's the caliber of guy who's probably going to be fine no matter where he goes but I am a bit surprised to see him considering Notre Dame because of it.

I agree- doesn’t make a ton of sense to decommit from Harvard in order to go to ND.

 

[tnfrs]

I wanna see this kid in London or Boston College. London doesnt really have a stud forward this year, and its one thing they were missing last year in the playoffs, Hagens would immediately be their best forward and maybe hes enough to get them back to the final and maybe the mem cup. If he goes the college route, BC has Gauthier, Leonard, Smith, and Perreault so hes got NTDP homies there and guys he can cook with.

Either way he gets to spend time with future Flyers teammmates

 

[Torts]

If only a college program recently made the brother combo work out where the forward was a top pick in the NHL draft after a 1 and done freshman season.........

In all honesty though, hope the brothers commit together and enjoy their time in college. As a hockey fan in SW Ontario. I wouldn't completely hate them going to London but would def prefer Michigan.

 

[MTU34]

Notre Dame would be interesting. Would be nice for them especially after losing Cooley and Mcgroarty

 

[Bonin21]

Notre Dame would be interesting. Would be nice for them especially after losing Cooley and Mcgroarty

And then lose Hagens too lol

 

[Bonin21]

This tweet was obviously a sales pitch for Hagens

 

[MTU34]

https://x.com/austinreporting/status/1704637867975115043?s=46&t=yvNnNaRwPOFOoaTU6EnJsw

Not sure why it’s just a link and not embedding the tweet but he’s off to BC next year

 

[GermanSpitfire]

 

[sigx15]

What a great day

 

[tnfrs]

What a great day

daaaaaaaang its too bad cutter wont be there when he gets there, maybe leonard and the other 2023 draft guys will but this big for BC. was hoping he was gonna go to London and play with Bonk and Barkey though

 

[William H Bonney]

What a massive get for the Eagles. Huge. It'll be interesting to see if Hagens going to BC makes Eiserman think twice about going back home to Massachusetts for school.

 

[clevelandcane]

Damn it!

Kidding. Good for him and his brother.

 

[sigx15]

What a massive get for the Eagles. Huge. It'll be interesting to see if Hagens going to BC makes Eiserman think twice about going back home to Massachusetts for school.

There have been rumblings some schools were trying to flip Eiserman but we'll see. I'd be surprised if he does. Certainly wouldn't be the first time they were able to. The did it with Smith and Gaudreau

 

[SI90]

Long Island boy!!! Going to BC. pretty cool!!
Honestly thought CHL was a real possibility with him.

 

[sigx15]

Long Island boy!!! Going to BC. pretty cool!!
Honestly thought CHL was a real possibility with him.

I’m surprised so many people thought there was a chance he’d go the CHL route. The CHL NHL transfer agreement is just so prohibitive for kids who have a gap year between the NTDP and their draft year. Being forced back to the CHL if a team feels like you need a little more development just seems like something more and more kids want to avoid as potential top draft picks

Also once his brother decommitted from Harvard and they became a package deal, the NCAA became a certainty

 

[BKarchitect]

Cool. Seems like a lot of the top 06/07 guys are kinda spreading out this far to a variety of schools (albeit mostly the usual suspects).

IIRC, BC had yet to get that marque catch from the 06/07 group so this was huge for them to keep up with the Jones’s. I know we expect the 05 USNTDP class to power the Eagles for at least a couple years but nothing is guaranteed about who from that group is going to stay multiple seasons.

 

[JiggsNY]

Interesting to see BC gain some steam in recruiting. Better recruiting classes than BU the last few years. Felt like they had fallen behind BU for a while before this.

 

[Dux917]

Interesting nugget from the New England Hockey Journel - on what/who was in the mix at the end for Hagens -

"It was a competitive field with BC. According to a source, the other New England school heavily in the mix until the end was Providence College. Three schools from the Big Ten were in the running: Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State. Plus, as New England Hockey Journal reported last week, all options were being considered including the Patrick Kane route. That would mean going to the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, who drafted Hagens in the sixth round of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection. "

 

[Bonin21]

Hagens + Smith + Leonard + Perrault will be a massive problem for college hockey next year.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Interesting to see BC gain some steam in recruiting. Better recruiting classes than BU the last few years. Felt like they had fallen behind BU for a while before this.

I think BU is looking a lot better for Hagens year, unless Hagens himself wins it for BC. BU has a lot more very good recruits that year. BC has a lot of unknowns for that year.

BC is probably a little better for this year with the three first round picks, and the two good goalies, but BU had a first round pick in Willander, the presumptive 1OA this year in Celebrini, and another good recruit like McCarthy.

I wouldn’t take BC’s class for last year either over BU, although there’s not a huge difference between the two.

 

[morganpt]

Sad as a Michigan fan, but good for the Hagens brothers for finally finding their fit. This is good for college hockey!!!

 

[JiggsNY]

I think BU is looking a lot better for Hagens year, unless Hagens himself wins it for BC. BU has a lot more very good recruits that year. BC has a lot of unknowns for that year.

BC is probably a little better for this year with the three first round picks, and the two good goalies, but BU had a first round pick in Willander, the presumptive 1OA this year in Celebrini, and another good recruit like McCarthy.

I wouldn’t take BC’s class for last year either over BU, although there’s not a huge difference between the two.

Yeah that’s fair. Definitely weighting Cutter and the 05 trio. But even just them being even again is nice to see. Feels like since Eichel in the mid 2010s it’s been very heavily in BU’s favor. In terms of landing top recruits not necessarily results.

 

[sigx15]

I think BU is looking a lot better for Hagens year, unless Hagens himself wins it for BC. BU has a lot more very good recruits that year. BC has a lot of unknowns for that year.

BC is probably a little better for this year with the three first round picks, and the two good goalies, but BU had a first round pick in Willander, the presumptive 1OA this year in Celebrini, and another good recruit like McCarthy.

I wouldn’t take BC’s class for last year either over BU, although there’s not a huge difference between the two.

I don't think BU's 2024 class looks incredible outside of Hutson. Their 2025 class is nuts, but not 2024

 

[BKarchitect]

I don't think BU's 2024 class looks incredible outside of Hutson. Their 2025 class is nuts, but not 2024

If Celebrini stays his post-draft season it won’t really matter, they just have to bridge to the 2025 core class.

I realize that’s anything but a given but I’m not sure Mack is gonna be quite as physically ready a specimen as Fantilli was. We’ve seen other late birthdates like Owen Power (who was certainly ready physically) stay for their immediate post-draft sophomore seasons so that may be the consolation for BU - a second season of Celebrini.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I don't think BU's 2024 class looks incredible outside of Hutson. Their 2025 class is nuts, but not 2024

I think they have two potential (probably likely) first round picks in Hutson and Bednarik. They then have a bunch of players that if things break right could be very good college players, and potentially good players in the pros too. Janviriya didn't get drafted his first year due to his height, but he was better than at least 2 of the NTDP defensemen in his class. Chambre didn't get drafted because he's very erratic and had some injuries, but he's a player that could find it at some point and turn into a lights out goalie. La Starza had a bad year last year, but his prior years he was a good junior scorer. Keefe is a reliable defenseman that I think will be picked this year, and maybe in the mid-rounds. So that's 6 players. Not to say I know all these players that these teams recruit, but I hadn't even heard of most of the other BC recruits. The two I knew of are not players I think are likely to be drafted any higher than 6th or 7th round (Stiga and Cornforth), if at all, so it seems like Hagens vs. a bunch of good depth.