Boston College Men's Hockey Forward Signs AHL Amateur Tryout Agreement With Bruins

After much speculation about whether or not he would sign a deal or not immediately following Boston College men’s hockey’s 4-3 overtime loss to UConn in the Hockey East Tournament semifinals, sophomore forward James Hagens officially inked his first professional contract with the Boston Bruins organization.

The deal that Hagens signed with the Bruins, who drafted him No. 7 overall in the 2025 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft, is an AHL amateur tryout agreement.

The #NHLBruins have announced that James Hagens will sign an AHL amateur tryout agreement (ATO) and report to the Providence Bruins.

📰: https://t.co/QuGnkuhZF5 pic.twitter.com/xOieEXW3g2
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 24, 2026

He becomes the second former Eagle since the end of the 2025-26 campaign to sign a professional contract, following Drew Fortescue who signed a three-year entry-level contract with the New York Rangers on Saturday.

In his second year on the Heights, Hagens became BC’s top goalscorer and points leader, as well as Hockey East’s.

He led the conference with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in league play, which earned him a Hockey East First Team All-Star nod, and finished with 47 points on 23 goals and 24 assists overall — good for No. 7 in the nation.

“He’s got so many more dimensions to his game,” BC head coach Greg Brown said about Hagens’ transition from his freshman year to the end of his sophomore season. “Defensive side of the puck, the detail. He could always carry the puck in. He has incredible offensive ideas, vision. You see the ideas popping out of his head as he’s carrying the puck through the neutral zone. So that part’s always been there.”

Brown continued: “But he’s added to his offensive game. He’s really added to complete his game, so there’s so many details. A guy growing up like that has the puck the whole game, so you’re not playing without the puck as much as you are in college. So for him to come as young as he did and pick that up in two years is really, you know, credit to him that he’s not just a talent. He’s a student of the game.”

Hagens came to BC in 2024 from the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) when he was just 17 years old. He racked up 187 points over the two seasons prior to his collegiate career, which is the fifth-most in program history.

In 2023-24, he appeared in 58 games for the U.S. Under-18 team, recording 39 goals and 63 assists for 102 points — the seventh-most in a single season in USNTDP history.

He additionally helped Team USA capture a silver medal in the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship, where he broke the World Juniors scoring record with 22 points (9 goals, 13 assists) and was named tournament MVP.

As a freshman for the Eagles, Hagens averaged a point per game, generating 37 points in just as many games played with 11 goals and 26 assists. He finished third on the team in points behind Ryan Leonard of the Washington Capitals and Gabe Perreault of the New York Rangers.

There is still a chance that Hagens could be named a Hobey Hat Trick finalist for the 2026 Hobey Baker Award, as he made the Hobey Baker Top 10 selection this past week. The Hobey Baker Award is given annually to the nation’s top NCAA Division-I ice hockey player, regardless of position.

While it was almost certain since the midpoint of the season that it would be Hagens’ last in Chestnut Hill, Mass., Brown said that he always kept his focus where his feet were and never looked past BC’s next opponent. His results spoke for themselves.

“He was with us the whole time,” Brown said.

Hagens will join the Providence Bruins for their practice on Tuesday morning.

Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram for the latest news.