By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter/X @TCalauttis
The Boston Bruins prospects put forth an impressive performance this weekend as they swept the Buffalo Sabres at the annual Prospect Showcase. The Black and Gold prevailed 6-2 in Sunday evening’s affair and then won a 4-3 overtime thriller on Monday. Here are the three biggest takeaways from this weekend:
Hagens Steals the Show
Boston’s prospects put up a total of eight goals in this weekend’s tournament, and six of them were scored by James Hagens. The 2025 seventh-overall pick potted two during the opening game, then notched a ridiculous four tallies to lead his team to victory in the second contest.
“He’s as advertised,” said first-year Providence Bruins Head Coach Trent Whitfield of Hagens’ four-goal performance. “He comes out, he generates offense, and then just an elite shot, I mean, he proved that today.” Whitfield continued, “What else is there to say? He makes plays, he’s not afraid, he gets in there and is competing, went to the net, and scored four goals.”
It took Hagens about a period to settle into the tournament, but when he did, things really started to click. After an up-and-down first frame in Sunday’s game, Hagens flipped the switch and came out as a completely different player for the rest of the tournament. Once his nerves settled down, he established himself as far and away the best player on the ice.
He scored his first goal on the power play with exactly 12 minutes remaining in the second when he demanded a puck at the point following a board battle, walked untouched into the slot, and ripped a wrister past Buffalo’s goaltender. Then in the third period, he made a nifty move in the high-slot to retrieve a puck and shoot it all in one motion.
Game 1 was a solid showing in and of itself, but Game 2 was where the New York native truly dominated. Trailing 2-0 late in the second period, Hagens potted two power-play goals in 1:44 seconds to tie the game heading into the third. Both goals were certifiable snipes, beating the goaltender high short side from the right circle. He would go on to score another power-play goal at the beginning of the third period before capitalizing on a turnover and scoring the game-winner in overtime.
You’d be hard-pressed to characterize Hagens’ performance at this tournament as anything other than pure domination. He came, he saw, and he conquered in a way that caught the eyes of both fans and the coaching staff alike. Gone were the early jitters and unconfident plays at the end of last season. This weekend, he proved that he’s more than ready to take on improved competition.
There’s no telling how management will decide to sculpt this roster come game one, but it’s clear that Hagens is on a mission to be squarely in the conversation. If he can hold his own in training camp and continue to flash his upside, he should be able to crack the opening night roster.
Locmelis Looks Healthy
Dans Locmelis burst onto the scene in Providence two seasons ago when he decided to forego his junior and senior seasons at UMass Amherst in favor of the AHL. The 22-year-old made a name for himself quickly, posting an astonishing 3-9-12 across his first six career games.
Expectations were high coming into training camp last season, but Locmelis suffered a shoulder injury in early October that limited him until the Olympics. He earned a spot on Latvia’s Olympic roster and was able to skate in all those games before being shut down for the season with an aggravation of his shoulder. Despite not being at 100 percent for most of the season, the versatile forward still put up a respectable 15-13-28 in 43 games and scored two goals in Milan.
“Yeah, he’s 100% ready to go, so we’re excited for that,” said Whitfield, the Friday before the team left for Buffalo. “He’s had a really good summer. He actually looked really good out there today, so real pleased about that. And he’s excited to get back in it.”
He continued, “Dans is a 200 ft. player. He plays hard on both ends. He’s inside, not afraid of physicality. Even at 60%, 70% last year, he was one of our better players down there for most of the time he was with us.”
Hagens was far and away the standout player of the tournament for Boston, but Locmelis was the team’s steadiest and most consistent performer throughout both contests. More than anybody else, Locmelis was able to impact the game across all three zones. He was a major player on the penalty kill, won the majority of his minutes in his own zone, and was an effective forechecker and play-driver on offense.
Locmelis’ efforts were rewarded on the scoresheet, where he notched 1-3-4 across the two-game set. He scored Boston’s second goal of the tournament after gaining inside position on a Buffalo defender and knocking home a loose puck. He also assisted on two of Hagens’ four Monday afternoon goals to help pace the team to victory.
The Boston Bruins have a pretty crowded bottom six heading into training camp, so chances are slim that Locmelis will be able to crack the opening night roster. But with most of Providence’s aging veterans off the team, the runway should be clear for the former Olympian to take over first-line center duties and play big minutes on both the power-play and penalty kill.
We may not see him in Boston until further down the line, but Locmelis proved at this tournament that he’s back to 100 percent health and that he’s still a wildly intelligent skater with some serious upside.
McCrate Turns Heads
Given the big forward names the Bruins were sending to the Prospect Showcase (Hagens, Locmelis, and Riley Duran among them), there was ample opportunity for a relatively unknown defenseman to step into the limelight. In my opinion, the defender who made the most noise was Cullen McCrate.
The Boston Bruins selected McCrate with their final pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Michigan native spent the previous season in the USHL, where he posted 10-20-30 across 61 games for the Fargo Force. The 6’1″, 199lbs defenseman acquitted himself well at this weekend’s tournament, and proved he’s someone fans should keep an eye on as he continues to develop.
McCrate’s best play of the weekend came on Dans Locmelis’ goal when he smoothly side-stepped a defender and found a shooting lane where he tossed a wrister towards the net. The shot ended up getting blocked, and the ensuing rebound was cashed in for Boston’s second goal of the tournament.
He assisted on the following goal as well when he quarterbacked the Bruins’ second power-play unit. He took a pass from the boards towards the middle of the blue line to open up a shooting lane and snapped a shot with purpose towards the net, where camp invite Nolan Renwick tipped it home.
What I liked about McCrate’s game was how quickly and efficiently he was able to transport pucks through the offensive and neutral zones. He was quick with his first pass and did well to transition pucks to safe areas before the pressure was able to bear down on him. He displayed good offensive instincts when manning the blueline and was able to hold his own defensively despite not having much of a rapport with his partners.
I don’t think McCrate will be a ‘light-up-the-scoresheet’ kind of defenseman, but if he rounds out his game and continues to improve his skating and strength, he’s someone who could become very useful down the road. With Boston’s prospect pool being thin on the backend, he’s someone to watch.
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