Boston Bruins
“They used their pace, they weren’t afraid to make performs, they made a variety of good selections.”
The nerves had been to be anticipated for James Hagens as he made his first lap out onto the ice at Nationwide Area on Sunday evening.
However because the Bruins’ high prospect braced for his NHL debut, Hagens took consolation whereas glancing up within the stands.
In whole, 13 of Hagens’ household and pals — together with his mother and father, brother, and sister — made the flight to Columbus Sunday morning and had been within the constructing for the 19-year-old’s first official recreation with the Bruins.
“It was actually cool trying up in warmups and seeing them there. Seeing how a lot assist they’ve for me. They flew out this morning, so it means loads to have them right here,” Hagens mentioned.
Whereas the Bruins ultimately left the frozen sheet on Sunday with a 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets, Hagens’ mom, Kristine, left Columbus with a present of her personal — the puck that signified her son’s first profession level within the NHL.
It was a rewarding evening for each Hagens and a Bruins workforce that may welcome the tempo and playmaking acumen that the seventh pick in the 2025 NHL Draft will deliver to this membership — each this spring and within the years to come back.
“It was tremendous cool,” Hagens mentioned of taking part in in his first NHL recreation. “Actually cool constructing to have the ability to get that win. It was particular. Perhaps keep out of the field. Nevertheless it was a very cool recreation.”
Hagens greater than held his personal in his first foray in opposition to NHL competitors — recording a secondary help over 13:08 of ice time whereas skating on a line with 21-year-old Fraser Minten and 23-year-old Marat Khusnutdinov.
Boston’s fourth line did many of the heavy lifting on Sunday en path to Boston’s victory in Ohio, with Sean Kuraly (one objective, two assists) and Mark Kastelic (one objective, one help) serving to the Bruins snap a five-game shedding skid.
One other stout displaying from Joonas Korpisalo (33 saves) helped stymie a determined Columbus workforce that noticed its slim playoff hopes all however dry up with a regulation defeat.
For a Bruins workforce that secured a playoff berth on Saturday evening, the stakes weren’t practically as excessive in opposition to Columbus — validated by a number of key gamers like Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Viktor Arvidsson, Pavel Zacha, and Tanner Jeannot all taking the evening off.
That did open the door for Hagens’ anticipated debut, days after Boston first signed him to the primary 12 months of his entry-level contract.
Hagens’ means to stuff the stat sheet is based on his crisp skating means, dynamic acceleration by way of the impartial zone, and creativity with the puck on his stick.
However his first profession level was generated by way of some easy, hard-nosed hockey from Boston’s youngest participant.
After getting Boston’s skaters transferring down the ice by way of a clear breakout move, Hagens later turned on the jets because the puck skittered down Columbus’ finish of the ice.
As the primary man in on Boston’s forecheck, Hagens engaged with Denton Mateychuk alongside the boards, tying up the Jackets skater and getting the puck jammed in place.
At the same time as Blue Jackets energy ahead Miles Wooden joined in on the jam session alongside the boards, Hagens didn’t budge — shopping for time for his teammates to skate in for assist.
Hagens ultimately fished the puck out and knocked it over to Kuraly, who fed the providing in entrance to Henri Jokiharju. The Bruins’ defenseman snapped the puck previous Columbus goalie Jet Greaves for his second objective of the season.
For the entire discuss of Hagens’ high-end ability, it was that heads-up play that caught the attention of Kuraly, Boston’s go-to pivot on the fourth line.
“He’s received two or three guys on him,” Kuraly mentioned. “Good gamers like that, they’re simply affected person. He’s not doing something with the puck till there’s somebody there. He was telling me after that I used to be screaming proper in his ear simply to knock it my method. He’s simply affected person. He simply stood over the puck. It’s a great lesson for all of us from a child, I assume.”
Throughout Hagens’ reps on Sunday, he landed one shot on objective and tried two extra that sailed vast. He was additionally whistled for a hook in opposition to Charlie Coyle within the first interval, whereas Boston didn’t earn a glance on the ability play.
That lack of energy play reps might need curtailed Hagens’ ice time a bit, limiting his likelihood to indicate off the playmaking expertise that might give Boston’s ailing man benefit a lift going into the playoffs.
However Sturm was happy with the tempo that Hagens dropped at that third line on Sunday.
“I believed he was good. I believed the entire line was nice. They used their pace, they weren’t afraid to make performs, they made a variety of good selections. They by no means actually received in hassle,” Sturm mentioned of Hagens and that third line. “Coming in right here in Columbus, such as you all know, it’s a troublesome constructing. I used to be curious for James, too, how he was going to deal with it, and I believed he did a great job.”
It’s to be anticipated for Hagens to undergo some rising pains within the NHL, particularly in the case of D-zone lapses and mismatches in opposition to the physicality discovered at this degree.
However past touchdown on the scoresheet, maybe essentially the most optimistic growth for Hagens was that Sturm known as on that third line for a important defensive-zone draw with lower than three minutes to go in regulation — with Boston defending a one-goal lead.
For Sturm, placing Hagens and his linemates in that spot stood as a no brainer.
“Why? It’s as a result of he gave me a purpose for it,” Sturm mentioned of taking part in Hagens late whereas defending a lead. “So it’s not simply due to his title, and he’s a excessive decide. No, I put him on the market as a result of I trusted him and the entire line did an ideal job, in order that they deserved to be on the market.”
With Boston’s regular-season finale set for Tuesday evening at dwelling in opposition to the Devils, Hagens may have one other likelihood to showcase his expertise earlier than the Bruins brace for the postseason.
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