James’ father, Mike Hagens Sr., was a defenseman for three seasons (1997-2000) at SUNY-Brockport, an NCAA Division III school in New York. He coached his sons with the Long Island Royals Under-13 and Under-14 teams in 2019-20.
James spent two seasons at Mount St. Charles (2020-22), and had 115 points (54 goals, 61 assists) in 54 games for the Under-15 team in 2021-22.
“One thing that doesn’t get discussed enough is that the rink at Mount St. Charles is a smaller sheet, so you really don’t have the same time and space and are grinding, developing smaller games on a tighter sheet,” Mike Sr. said. “It forces you to keep your eyes up, to look for options and be quicker in your decision-making. It’s the whole USA Hockey small-area-game-mentality.”
James moved on to the NTDP in Plymouth, Michigan, in 2022-23 and led the U-18 team with 63 assists, 102 points and an average of 1.76 points per game in 58 games in 2023-24.
“At the NTDP I learned if you want to make it to the next level, want to be able to play hockey in the NHL, you have to be a dog,” Hagens said. “You have to learn to compete and that anytime you step on the ice, whether for a practice or game, in the shooting room or the weight room, you have to give it your all. You have to make sure you’re ready for the opportunity when it happens.”
Hagens has been a reliable force for the United States on an international level too. He had 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in seven games to help the U.S. to a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Finland. It was a single-tournament record, breaking the mark set by Nikita Kucherov in 2011 (21 points; 11 goals, 10 assists with Russia).
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