Hagens tops FCHockey’s Preliminary ranking for the 2025 NHL Draft

James Hagens of Boston College leads FCHockey’s Preliminary rankings for the 2025 NHL Draft.

Hagens, a left-shot center from Hauppauge, New York, led the US National Team Development Program’s under-18 team with 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) last season — the eighth-most productive campaign in the NTDP’s history and fourth-best by a player still one season from his draft year.

The 17-year-old also had 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in seven games at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, breaking the U18 scoring record set in 2011 by Nikita Kucherov.

“What makes Hagens so special is his pure offensive skill, both as an individual play creator and excellent passer,” FCHockey scout Kyle Pereira said. “But he isn’t just a fantastic stick handler and playmaker, he can really shoot the puck. That makes him so difficult to defend, and what separates top prospects from the rest of the guys on the board. That’s why he’s considered the top prospect to this point in 2025.”

Porter Martone, Matthew Schaefer, Anton Frondell, and Ivan Ryabkin follow Hagens to round out the top-five.

Martone, a right wing with Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League, had 71 points (33 goals, 38 assists) in 60 games in 2023-24. Schaefer, a defenseman with Erie in the OHL, had 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 56 games last season, and helped Canada to gold at both the 2024 World Under-18s and as captain at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

“There could definitely be a surprising amount of depth to come out of this year’s North American crop,” FCHockey scout Greysen Goudy said. “There’s several really interesting players making the NCAA jump this year, and 2025 is certainly one of the strongest OHL groups in several years. The Quebec Maritimes Hockey League group looks improved, and the Western Hockey League is flooded with players who put their names on the map at the Hlinka. All in all, definitely a really exciting year for North American hockey with plenty of players I could see rising draft boards throughout the year.”

Frondell, a center with Djurgårdens IF, had 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) in 29 games in J20 Nationell and one point, an assist, in HockeyAllsvenskan last season. Ryabkin, a center with MHK Dynamo Moskva, had 58 points (24 goals, 34 assists) in 44 games in the MHL in 2023-24.

“The overall depth of this draft class from Europe is really good,” FCHockey scout Samuel Tirpak said. “There’s a deep and strong Swedish group that carries it, a weaker Finnish group that leaves a lot to be desired, but overall the depth is really nice.”

Jack Ivankovic, who backstopped Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, is the top-ranked goaltender at No. 25. He is one of eight netminders to crack the preliminary ranking.

“The overall 2025 goalie class is one of the better ones recently, with both top end and depth throughout the class,” FCHockey scout David Phillips said. “Expect to hear the names Ivankovic, Pyotr Andreyanov and Love Harenstam a lot this year. However later options is what really bring this class a notch above recent years’ when it comes to the goalies.”

To view FCHockey’s full Preliminary ranking for the 2025 draft, click HERE.

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