Top prospect James Hagens has continued to generate a lot of buzz for the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft. And with him going to the Boston Bruins with the No. 7 overall pick as announced by Adam Sandler, the buzz sure did pay off.
But, that didn't matter to the New York Rangers. As announced on Tuesday, the Rangers transferred the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins to officially complete the J.T. Miller trade. The Rangers' front office and President and General Manager Chris Drury spent the beginning of June 27th's draft sitting in the Rangers' war room just watching the first round, which is when Hagens got snatched up.
But, there was a bit of extra stakes in the matter when it came to Hagens potentially becoming a Blueshirt. Let's take a look at Hagens' history with a certain New York Rangers' player.
Who is James Hagens?
Hagens entered the season with the Boston College Eagles as the projected first-overall pick on numerous draft lists.
Born in 2006, the left-handed center stands at 5'10" and weighs 176 pounds. This most recent year as an Eagle he managed a production level as a point per game player with 29 assists and 34 points in 34 games. He's well-known for his high level of hockey IQ and playing at a fast pace of play.
Hagens is also a dual offensive threat and features a strong presence in the offseason zone while also remaining in position to backcheck if necessary.
According to Elite Prospects his draft projections were as follows ahead of being taken off the board at No. 7.
- Ranked #4 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
- Ranked #4 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
- Ranked #7 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
- Ranked #8 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
- Ranked #3 by THN/FERRARI
- Ranked #5 by THN/KENNEDY
- Ranked #5 by MCKEEN'S HOCKEY
- Ranked #3 by FLOHOCKEY/CHRIS PETERS
- Ranked #3 by FCHOCKEY
- Ranked #4 by DAILY FACEOFF
- Ranked #3 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
- Ranked #6 by HPR/MALLOY
- Ranked #3 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
- Ranked #5 by SPORTSNET/COSENTINO
- Ranked #4 by SPORTSNET/BUKALA
- Ranked #3 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
- Ranked #3 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
- Ranked #3 by SMAHT SCOUTING
There's no shame in going in the top 10 and staying in Boston after his college years, but Hagens clearly didn't hold onto his pre-season and early-season ranking at the top of this year's draft class.
Hagens' history with Gabe Perreault
Hagens was teammates with Gabe Perreault on three separate occasions within the past 365 days. The two shared the ice while playing for Boston College, at World Juniors and appeared together in a social media collab for ESPN and SportsCenter NEXT.
The Rangers agreed to terms with forward Gabe Perreault on a three-year, entry-level contract back in April following the conclusion of Boston College's play in the NCAA men's ice hockey championship at the Manchester Regional.
Perreault won back-to-back gold medals with the United States at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships, finishing in second in scoring at the 2025 tournament with 10 points on three points and seven assists.
Hagens has won gold at both the World U18 (2023) and World Junior Championship (2025), as well as a silver medal (2024). He was named best forward and MVP at the 2024 World U18 Championship. He also beat Nikita Kucherov’s record for most points at the U18 WJC for a single-tournament record with 21 points.
Boston College and WJC hockey fans will no doubt be excited to see Perreault and Hagens sharing a rink again — it'll just be on opposing ends of the ice this time.
Rangers 2025 NHL Draft information
New York's updated draft order is now as follows — No. 43 pick in the second round, No. 70 pick in the third round, No. 89 in the third round which was acquired in the Chris Kreider trade, No. 111 in the fourth, No. 139 in the fifth, Nos. 166 and 171 in the sixth, and — finally — No. 203 in the seventh round.
The first round of the 2025 NHL Draft is ongoing — June 27 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and Rounds 2-7 are June 28 (Noon ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, SN1).