Boston College star (and Bruins prospect) James Hagens among 10 finalists for Hobey Baker Award

Selected by the Bruins with the seventh overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, Hagens leads Hockey East with 45 points on 23 goals and 22 assists entering Friday’s conference semifinal against UConn at TD Garden. Hagens’s 23 goals are tied for fifth nationally, and his 1.36 points per game are seventh. Both numbers are tops in Hockey East. He is on a career-best 13-game point streak, posting 12 goals and 10 assists in that span. Boston College sophomore James Hagens has been selected as one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, the organization announced Wednesday. He also is a finalist for Hockey East player of the year along with Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson, who signed with the Washington Capitals earlier this week, and UMass goalie Michael Hrabal, a top-10 finalist for the Mike Richter Award, and the Hockey East goalie of the year. Hockey East will announce its player of the year on Thursday. It marks the third straight season BC has had a Hobey Baker top-10 finalist, following Ryan Leonard last season and Cutter Gauthier and Will Smith in 2023-24. Three other skaters from New England schools are finalists for the award given to the country’s top player: Dartmouth forward Hayden Stavroff, whose 28 goals lead the nation; Quinnipiac forward Ethan Wyttenbach, whose 58 points (24 goals, 34 assists) are tops nationally; and Sacred Heart forward Felix Trudeau, who was named Atlantic Hockley America’s player of the year after scoring 25 goals and 22 assists in 38 games. Rounding out the list of finalists are Michigan State goalie Trey Augustine, Michigan forward T.J. Hughes, Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante, Denver defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, and Michigan State forward Charlie Stramel. The Hobey Baker committee lists the criteria for the award as displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship, and scholastic achievements. The Hobey Hat Trick will be announced on April 2, with the winner being named April 10 in Las Vegas at the Frozen Four. Northeastern captain Vinny Borgesi signed a two-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, beginning with the 2026-27 season. He will join the Toronto Marlies of the AHL for the remainder of this season on an amateur tryout. In his senior season with the Huskies, the defenseman posted five goals and 15 assists in 36 games while leading the nation in time on ice for the second year in a row, averaging 27:11. His 75 blocks were a career high and led the team. The Philadelphia native was named a Hockey East second-team All-Star. He also served as the captain for the United States Collegiate Selects squad that reached the final of the Spengler Cup last December in Davos, Switzerland. In four seasons with Northeastern, Borgesi put up 16 goals and 64 assists in 135 games. Boston University captain Gavin McCarthy, who was a teammate of Borgesi’s at the Spengler Cup, signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Sabres. Selected by Buffalo in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft, McCarthy had four goals and 17 assists and finished plus-12 in 36 games this season, He was third in Hockey East in time on ice behind Borgesi and Hutson at 25:06, and was a Hockey East third-team All-Star. In 115 games across three seasons, the defenseman totaled eight goals and 34 assists.