Boston Bruins
Hagens didn’t record a point, but he did showcase his skating ability on the power play Wednesday in Springfield.
James Hagens made his pro debut with the Providence Bruins on Wednesday. David L Ryan/ Boston Globe Staff
March 26, 2026 | 8:13 AM
2 minutes to read
Less than a week after his collegiate season at Boston College came to a close at TD Garden, James Hagens was back on the ice — except this time at Springfield’s MassMutual Center.
The Bruins’ top prospect — who signed an AHL amateur tryout contract on Monday — made his pro debut on Wednesday with the Providence Bruins, logging top-line minutes in Providence’s 2-1 victory.
It was a quiet night on the score sheet for Hagens, with the 19-year-old forward recording zero points in the victory.
Riley Tufte and Jake Schmaltz both scored for Providence, while Michael DiPietro stopped 25 shots en route to the P-Bruins’ 48th win of the season.
Hagens — who primarily skated on the wing on Providence’s top line with Patrick Brown and Matej Blumel — did land three shots on net and showcased some flashes of his high-end skill during Wednesday’s win.
As expected, Hagens was most noticeable with the puck on his stick — especially in regards to his transition game and generating clean entries.
Providence’s power play went 0-for-4 on Wednesday, but Hagens popped on several instances when it came to ferrying the puck through the neutral zone — making life easier for the rest of his teammates on the man advantage.
Even though the expectations are that Hagens will begin his pro career on the wing, he did win a few critical faceoffs in the offensive zone for the P-Bruins as well. He could have landed a few pucks on net against Springfield, but he flubbed a few one-time attempts as well on the man advantage.
There were also some expected growing pains, especially in the early going of Wednesday’s matchup.
Hagens took his fair share of licks in the opening period against Springfield — a wake-up call that all younger players inevitably face when making the jump from the collegiate game to the punishment that awaits in the pro ranks.
Hagens — at 5-foot-11 — isn’t a power forward. But it was encouraging to see him skate him into a scrum and try to stand up for Brown — even if his efforts led to him getting put into a headlock.
As was the case at Boston College, Hagens is not going to be the type of player who strikes fear into opposing skaters via a glass-shattering hit. But the young forward doesn’t exactly shy away from scrapping for pucks along the boards or skating into Grade-A ice, either.
It’s just that his knack for winning those board battles in college is understandably going to take a hit moving forward — at least until he tacks on a bit more muscle in the coming years.
All things considered, it was a solid — if not unspectacular — debut for Hagens, who will be given ample time to build up his game as he looks to find his footing at the pro level.
Hagens and the P-Bruins will return to game action on Saturday, when they host Bridgeport at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m.
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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