Just a few months ago, Boston College center James Hagens was in the discussion to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft.

But in the weeks leading up to the draft, Hagens saw his stock start to drop.

Other centers like Anton Frondell, who was drafted No. 3 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks, Caleb Desnoyers, who went fourth overall to the Utah Mammoth, and Brady Martin, who went fifth overall to the Nashville Predators, all saw their stock rise while where Hagens would go became one of the hotly debated topics of the NHL offseason.

As players started flying off the board, Hagens had to wait a little longer than he likely anticipated, but his surprising draft slide was ended by the Boston Bruins, who took him with the seventh overall pick.

It was speculated hours before the draft that the New York Islanders, who took defenseman Matthew Schaefer No. 1 overall, traded star defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens for the Nos. 16 and 17 overall picks to use as extra ammunition to move back up into the top five and pick Hagens, a New York native.

When the Predators were on the clock, a team that was recently deemed to have the worst center depth in the NHL according to a recent survey by The Athletic, many believed Hagens was their guy.

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So when he was still available when Boston was on the clock just a few picks later, the Bruins, who also have a glaring need at center, didn’t hesitate to take the 18-year-old rising BC sophomore.

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman, who’s widely regarded as the top NHL draft and prospect analyst in the business, graded Boston’s selection as an A-.

“The Bruins had a clear need for high-end talent in their farm system and a pressing need for top center talent,” Pronman wrote. “In Hagens, they address both. He’s an electric skater, puck handler and passer.

“He becomes the clear top young talent in their organization, and despite how he’s been picked apart at times for his size and physicality, he projects as a potential top-line forward.”