When you’re as young and talented as James Hagens, it’s hard to keep from getting ahead of yourself. 

Whether it’s competing for a roster spot with the U.S. National Junior Team or preparing for his freshman season at one of the most prestigious colleges in the country, or potentially hearing his name called first at the 2025 NHL Draft, the Hauppauge native has a bright future indeed. 

And yet Hagens has shown maturity beyond his 17 years by taking it one step at a time in what is shaping up to be a long and promising career.

“You never know what’s going to be ahead so as long as you go to the rink and put in everything that you have, you know that good things will happen in the future,” Hagens said. “That’s kind of how I go about life and how I go about my days.”

Since coming to USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program last season, Hagens has made the most of every opportunity that’s come his way, whether that’s playing against the top junior or collegiate talent or taking on the world on the international stage. 

Success has a way of finding those who work hard, control what they can control and not worry about who gets the credit. It’s a winning formula that Hagens learned from his parents, Kristine and Michael, who instilled those qualities in both James and his older brother Michael, a defenseman with the Chicago Steel.

Their passion for hockey sprung up at a young age as the Hagens boys would wage epic battles on their backyard rink until late at night before their parents would have to drag them inside.

Those backyard battles have since carried over to the USHL, where the Hagens brothers have faced off several times, including a recent Team USA victory in which the younger brother capped the scoring with a power play goal.

That sibling rivalry will shift gears next season when the brothers join forces at Boston College. Being able to play together will not only be a dream come true for the brothers, their parents won’t have to worry about dividing their time and loyalties between two different teams.

“We kind of knew when we toured BC together that it was a spot for us,” the younger Hagens said. “The way they treated our family and the way they treated us we knew right away that it was a home for us.” 

While his hockey dreams were spawned on the backyard rink, it was with the Long Island Royals where they took flight. Under the tutelage of long-time hockey director Steve Rizer and Hagens’ father, James knew he was on the right career path. He would eventually shift gears and enroll at Mount Saint Charles, an iconic prep school in Rhode Island where many NHL careers were launched. That’s where he caught the eye of NTDP scouts.

“As a kid you watch Team USA on TV and you sit there on the couch asking your dad and your mom how you could get there one day,” Hagens recalled. “For things to become a reality, I can only give the credit back to the people at the Royals who helped me out along the way, and for Mount St. Charles to get me to where I am now.”

When it comes to talking about his hockey success, Hagens is quick to distribute credit and compliments just as he does pucks to his Team USA linemates. He has the demeanor and the stat line to prove it.

All he did last season was notch 85 points in 60 games while helping the U.S. win the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the IIHF World Under-18 Championship. 

At the U17 Challenge, Hagens posted a staggering 21 points in seven games, which eclipsed the previous scoring marks of such illustrious alumni as Jack Hughes (15 points) and Alexander Ovechkin (13 points). 

Despite being one of the youngest players competing at the World Under-18 Championship, Hagens pitched in a goal and four assists as Team USA brought home its 11th gold medal in the event.

“I really just wanted to help the team win a gold medal, and I was willing to do whatever it takes and play whatever role to do that,” said Hagens, who has continued his torrid scoring pace this season at the NTDP with 37 points in 23 games. 

A solid showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase earned Hagens an invitation to the recent training camp at USA Hockey Arena, where the final roster for the U.S. National Junior Team was selected. Despite a strong showing, he was one of the final cuts from what looks to be one of the deepest U.S. teams in recent years. 

Like a growing number of American kids, watching the World Juniors was a holiday tradition in the Hagens household. Whether he was sitting at home or out with his family enjoying dinner in a local restaurant, his eyes were glued to the closest television anytime the U.S. was in action.

“I’d watch every shift and every game that the USA played, and I wished that one day I’d have the chance to go overseas and help the team win a gold medal,” he recalled. 

“For it to become a reality is something that would be really cool for me. I know for sure that whenever the opportunity comes, I’m going to be able to put everything that I have on the line to help the team out.”

Competing on the international stage seems to suit Hagens’ style of play. He’s a dynamic playmaker who can create at full speed; his game is suited for the bigger ice surface. More than just an offensive force, he has also worked hard to adapt his game to take on whatever role is asked of him.

“At the end of the day, it’s more about how the team plays, and if we’re having success no one on the team thinks about the accolades or the little stuff that is nowhere near winning a gold medal,” he said. “To be able to have a group that is same minded in that aspect of the game, it’s really special.” 

As he reaches the halfway point on another stellar season at the NTDP, Hagens has caught the attention of NHL scouts and media as well. With a November birthday, he will miss out on this year’s NHL Draft. Still, the early money has the slick playmaking center as an early favorite to join fellow NTDP alumni Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes as the top pick in the 2025 draft.

While those predictions will continue to circulate around the hockey world, Hagens won’t allow himself to get caught up in the hype. There’s a lot of hockey to be played between now and then and he refuses to look beyond the next game on the schedule.
“To be honest I don’t think about that stuff at all right now. I just try to take it day by day so that hopefully my dreams can pay off one day,” he said. “The most important thing is trying to help the team win. 

“As my dad always tells me, just take it day by day.”