Coming out of the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month, the Buffalo Sabres got the lowdown on a number of prospects that could be their with the ninth selection at the 2025 Draft in Los Angeles this week, but barring a trade up they will have to rely on the player they want slipping through the cracks.
The NY Islanders are likely to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the top overall pick, but there is no accurate read on how the remaining seven picks will break. That seems to be reflected in various mock drafts that have emerged since the combine. After Schaefer, names like Michael Misa, Caleb Desnoyers, and rising star Anton Frondell are likely to go in the top five, but at that point, any of a number of players could be there for the Sabres at #9.
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James Hagens is a player that draft analysts last fall projected could go first overall, but in spite of a solid freshman year at Boston College and starring for Team USA in their gold-medal winning effort at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships, the 18-year-old has seemingly been passed by Schaefer, Misa, Frondell and others to the point where it is possible that he slips to the Sabres at #9.
According to the Hockey News Draft Preview, Hagens is 5’10”, 177 lb. in a league that is now obsessed with size. His passing and playmaking skill was apparent at BC playing on a line with fellow first round picks Ryan Leonard (Washington) and Gabe Perreault (NY Rangers), and his skating and edgework are considered elite. The question for the Sabres is are they looking to draft bigger forwards after selecting the likes of Matthew Savoie, Isak Rosen, Noah Ostlund, Zach Benson, and Konsta Helenius, and will that prevent them from selecting Hagens if he is there with their pick.
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