Bruins Believe World Championships Can Help James Hagens Grow

Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images On April 8, 2026 , the Boston Bruins signed James Hagens to an entry-level contract. He made his NHL debut four nights later, picking up a secondary assist against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played in four more games after that, one in the regular season and three in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Hagens skated on the third line, dubbed the “kids’ line,” alongside Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov . Then he watched from the press box as the Bruins’ season came to a close in Games 4, 5, and 6. Marco Sturm called it a man’s game ahead of Game 5 , and said that he cannot expect his less-experienced playoff players to “be the difference already.

” “With Hagens, he just, I do like him. I want to see him at one point, probably as a center, he does have potential, but it’s just, he’s just not there yet,” Sturm said on breakup day. “I think it’s great for him now learning the game as a winger, and then, we have to see moving forward where it’s going to go.

” Once Hagens got called up to join the Bruins, returning to Providence was no longer an option. However, his season did not end on May 1. He is heading to Switzerland for the IIHF World Championships, representing Team USA with the men’s national team for the first time in his career.