JAMES HAGENS

2025-01-03

Scout: Sasha Lagarde

Skating:

One of the best skaters in the draft in all aspects of the word; straight line, edgework, tight space footwork is elite, 4 way mobility. He has a lot going for him in terms of his agility as well. This will also allow him to be quite effective in his 2 way game as he can cover ground after a mistake.

Passing/Handling:

Personally speaking, this is his best tool, his vision is exceptional. You saw a lot of what he has to offer at the WJC, being able to distribute the puck with ease on both his backhand and forehand. Often, he seems to find players simply due to his scanning habits , mix that in with an ability to put the puck in soft ice for his teammates. His handling is high-end as well, as he has a great set of hands while also understanding hesitation technique. Overall, he can distribute and put himself in great situations to distribute the puck in any zone effectively.

Shooting:

If there were a "weakness" to his game, it would be his shot but all in all,he is still a high quality shooter in the grand scheme of things. He has had rocky start at BC in the goal scoring department but has turned it on in the WJC. What I like about Hagens the most is his ability to shoot off the rush with accuracy, although he tends to look pass first. As he gets stronger and faster, these shooting opportunities will be the best option for him and with a good IQ in the offensive zone, goals won't be a problem moving forward.

IQ (Vision, Anticipation, Panic/Poise):

What I really enjoy about Hagens' game is his fast pace passing ability, one touch ability and his brain. He plays off his teammates extremely well and hardly panics with the puck. He has been a little inconsistent in his details but as a freshman, he will only develop his attention to detail in regards to zone coverage and scheme reading while on offense.

Forechecking:

Great motor and ability to use his speed as a weapon on his forechecks. His angling is pretty solid and he has the IQ to make plays as soon as he gains possession off the wall. Not always F1 but is eefective as an F2 due to his brain.

Defense:

Improving his defense game over the year and his skating ability will allow him to cover his tracks at the high levels. You can see him at the WJC back tracking and replacing pinching dmen which is a good sign the he can adapt to team's defense schemes easily. I am not worried on whether this will be a true weakness in his game.

Best Asset:

Skating and playmaking

Biggest Concern:

Consistency

Top Tier/Role Potential:

1C

Justification for Top Tier Assessment:

He has the dynamic skating and playmaking ability to be an automatic top-6 with top-end potnetial.

50th Percentile Tier/Role:

Scoring 3 C who can jump up to 2 C

Justification for 50th Percentile Tier Assessment:

If he can't find consistency and develops a very pass-first profile that is predictable, he can find himself being a high-end offensive 3C. I don't see this happening though.

Stylistic Comparable:

Jack Hughes Lite