Boston College Men's Hockey Forward James Hagens Named Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist
Boston College men’s hockey forward James Hagens has been named a Top 10 Finalist for the 2026 Hobey Baker Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top college ice hockey player, the organization announced Wednesday afternoon.
A Hockey First Team All-Star and the league’s scoring champion, Hagens is currently tied for fifth in the country in goals with 23 and ranks seventh in points per game at a clip of 1.36.
The Boston Bruins’ 2025 first-round selection (No. 7 overall) leads all of Hockey East with 45 points (23 goals, 22 assists), and he is currently riding a 13-game point streak with 22 points on 12 goals and 10 assists during that span.
Down to 10.
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) March 18, 2026
James Hagens has been named a Top 10 Finalist for the Hobey Baker Award!
📰 https://t.co/Maubhmeoyx pic.twitter.com/xvI1p8hEWR
With Hagens’ nomination, this year marks the third straight in which the Eagles have fielded a Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist. The previous two years, Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals), Will Smith (San Jose Sharks), and Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim Ducks) also received the honor.
On Monday, Hagens was tabbed a finalist for the 2025-26 Hockey East Player of the Year, along with UMass goaltender Michael Hrabal and former Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson, who will make his NHL debut on Wednesday night for the Capitals.
The Hobey Hat Trick — which narrows the Top 10 down to a trio of players — will be announced on Thursday, April 2, with the winner being announced on Friday, April 10, in Las Vegas at the Frozen Four.
The rest of the Hobey Baker Top 10 is comprised of Michigan State goaltender Trey Augustine, Michigan forward TJ Hughes, Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, Minnesota-Duluth forward Max Plante, Denver defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, Dartmouth forward Hayden Stavroff, Michigan State forward Charlie Stramel, Sacred Heart forward Felix Trudeau, and Quinnipiac forward Ethan Wyttenbach.
According to the Hobey Baker Award website, the ten finalists were selected by voting from all 63 Division I college hockey head coaches and online fan balloting.
The eventual winner will be chosen from the group by a 30-member selection committee, and an additional round of fan balloting will run from March 19-29 on the website.
Criteria for the award consists of displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship, and scholastic achievements.
On Tuesday, three days ahead of the Eagles’ Hockey East Tournament semifinal matchup against UConn, Hagens and BC senior captain Andre Gasseau spoke on how BC has approached the postseason after going on a four-game losing streak to finish the regular season.
“We’re in a spot here where nothing’s given to us and we have to go out and earn it,” Hagens said. “It’s a good spot to be. It’s when desperation comes out. It’s when you need everyone’s best. So it’s just an exciting time.”
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Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.
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