Some people believe that Jake O'Brien is the best center prospect after projected top pick Michael Misa. Others believe Swedish skater Anton Frondell is the second-best center. And of course, you are going to have some detractors say that others, like James Hagens, might be the second-best center. Hagens could end up becoming one of the steals of the draft.
Hagens is ranked by NHL Central Scouting as the third-best North American skater behind Misa and defender Matthew Schaefer. Since both are considered to be NHL-ready prospects, that's a pretty high bar to live up to. After two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team, where he scored 25 goals with 52 assists in 57 games, Hagens played for Boston College. This season, he scored 11 goals with 26 assists in 37 games.
Hagens is someone that many scouts are mocking him to the Flyers, and with good reason. Jonathan Bailey of The Hockey News sees the potential.
"Pairing the 18-year-old Boston College talisman with Matvei Michkov will set the Flyers up for offensive success for two decades, and the remainder of the grueling rebuild would then center on adding cornerstone pieces around those two."
Likewise with Bleacher Report.
"Hagens can go from a full sprint to an immediate, sharp pivot without sacrificing any pace. He's the player you want carrying the puck through the neutral zone to beat a conservative forecheck, and he is tough to contain in the offensive zone, as he usually finds ways to scoot out of pockets of pressure."
The knock on him is that he is not a major scoring threat from beyond point-blank shots. He might be able to win the faceoff, push the offense forward, and set up the play, but he struggles with blasting a shot from the circles. Maybe that is something he can work on and develop. Maybe that is something he will always struggle with. Only time can tell.
Still, Hagens is an intriguing prospect. Some see him as a second-line center at best. Others have drawn comparisons to Matt Duchene, a player many Flyers fans have coveted since his days in Colorado. If Luchanko and Hagens both pan out, they could be among the best 1-2 center combos in the league.