Boston College men’s hockey received commitments from brothers James Hagens and Michael Hagens on Wednesday night, according to a joint Instagram post from the pair.
James, the younger of the two at 16 years old, was one of the most sought after uncommitted recruits in the nation. The 5-foot-10 center put up 40 points in 31 United States Hockey League (USHL) games last season playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) Juniors team.
USNTDP has produced quite a few stars for BC in the past, from Matt Boldy to Marshall Warren to Cutter Gauthier. Before playing for the USNTDP, James played at Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island, one of the top prep hockey programs in the nation. The Hauppauge, N.Y. native scored 115 points during the 2021–22 season, his final year with the academy.
Michael, the elder of the two at 18 years old, certainly holds his own. The 6-foot defenseman also played at Mount St. Charles and is currently playing for the Chicago Steel of the USHL. In the 2022–23 season, Michael scored 26 total points in 60 games, recording nine goals and 17 assists.
With Michael being a year and a half older than James and a former Harvard commit, it begs the question of when the two brothers will begin to play in Maroon and Gold.
James is a top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft, though it is a bit too early to project whether he has a shot to be the first American to go at the top spot since New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes in 2019.
His top pedigree would suggest that he might consider heading to BC for the 2024–25 season, the year leading up to the draft he would be eligible for. This path has grown in popularity recently. Mhigan’s Adam Fantilli did so last year and Macklin Celebrini, the projected top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, will play at Boston University this upcoming season.
Whether or not the brothers will arrive to the Heights next year, the year after, or in separate years, both will be very valuable additions to the team whenever they decide to take the next step. James’ commitment continues BC’s run of recruiting top talent as it secured Gauthier and Will Smith, and shows that Greg Brown is not taking a step back from legendary head coach Jerry York when it comes to recruiting.
Brown led the Eagles to a 14–16–6 record last year in his first season as head coach of the program.
