James Hagens torched the Boston Bruins' rookie group on Monday, scoring four goals as his team walked away with a 4-3 win in a scrimmage.
Four goals. Not four assists. Four finishes, the last one arriving with 37.7 seconds showing on the clock to beat the Buffalo Sabres.
Hagens has appeared in two games with Boston last season, picking up one assist without a goal, so this breakout came far from the NHL ledger.
Call it hockey's version of a spring training no-hitter. It means something. It rarely means everything.
At 19 years old, Hagens carries a cap hit of $975,000 on his entry-level contract, exactly the kind of value front offices chase.
Head coach Marco Sturm and his staff are watching every rep closely, with camp battles still shaping the opening night roster.
Hagens pushes his case for a bigger role in Boston
The winner came off a scramble in front, Hagens finding the opening and snapping it home as teammates mobbed him at the horn.
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How many afternoons like this does it take before a camp battle turns into a lineup lock?
Sturm hasn't named his season-opening group yet. A four-goal outing does not make that decision any easier to shrug off.
Nothing about Boston's roster plan is settled. But the kid just made himself very hard to leave off Marco Sturm's final roster at opening night.
One thing is certain: Hagens just sent a very clear message to Bruins GM Don Sweeney with this performance. He has no choice but to consider him ready to start the season full-time in the NHL.
Should the Bruins push James Hagens onto the NHL roster right now?
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