Now that the Draft Lottery is complete and the first round order is clearer, experts are projecting the first round. In a recent piece on The Athletic, Scott Wheeler released his early first-round projection, considering team needs and drafting habits.
With the Nashville Predators having the fifth overall pick, he thinks they will select James Hagens, Boston College's center this past season, and a standout NCAA player as a freshman. At the recent World Juniors tournament, he also centered a line for the Americans and helped USA hockey capture a Gold Medal.
"Smashville has waited a long time to draft a premium skill forward, and Hagens would give them that,"
Wheeler couldn't be more right when citing the biggest need for Nashville, and it is indeed a true number one center. Especially a skilled one with the tools of Hagens, who went point per game in his first year of NCAA play.
Also fitting the bill of a "serial winner", something General Manager Barry Trotz covets as we know, Hagens has had some international success already. Already on his neck, he proudly wears a U18 Silver medal, a U18 Gold medal, and a World Junior Championship Gold medal. At the U18 tournaments, he was also awarded a few accolades like Best Forward, Tournament MVP, Most Points, as well as being named to the All-Star team.
Barry Trotz appeared on the radio with Jared Stillman not long ago, and described the trait he wants to draft, and the main one was speed. Hagens certainly has pace to his game, and can rush the puck up with enough speed to back off defenders and make space for his linemates. Hagens certainly checks off many boxes for the GM and certainly for fans as well.
Another reason this pick and fit make sense is the connection with the recent 2024 second-round pick Teddy Stiga. He was teammates in college with Hagens this year, and also played internationally with him at the World Juniors. Reuniting the two in the NHL could be a fun story and even a way to establish early chemistry with two exciting future pieces.
What Other Options?
Certainly worth noting is that the New York Islanders own the first overall pick and could select Hagens, as many speculate, due to him being a hometown fan born in New York. In his projection, Wheeler went with the talented defender Matthew Schaefer, followed by center Michael Misa to the San Jose Sharks, Center Anton Frondell to the Chicago Blackhawks, and Center Caleb Desnoyers to Utah just before the Preds at four.
That's a lot of centers off the board early, as it usually plays out. It also means there may be different options when the Preds get on the clock, including other centers still available after Hagens, who could be options. Other players mentioned by Wheeler are Porter Martone and Brady Martin.
Martone just had a brilliant year in the OHL, scoring 37 goals and 98 points in 57 games, serving as captain of the Brampton Steelheads. He also measures in at 6'3", a nice combination of size and skill that Wheeler notes the Preds could use in their prospect cupboard.
Another thought Wheeler had was Brady Martin center for the Soo Greyhounds. The predators have some players with competitiveness in Zachary L'Heureux and Yegor Surin recently, as he notes, and Martin is of a similar build. He recently scored 72 points in 57 OHL games in his draft year, and has decent size at 6 foot.