James Hagens passes Nikita Kucherov to break U-18 World Championship scoring record

ESPOO, Fin. – With his third point against Slovakia on Saturday afternoon, James Hagens has broken Nikita Kucherov’s all-time scoring record at the U-18 World Championship with his 22nd point of the tournament in Finland.

USA was playing Slovakia in the semifinal as the Americans chase a spot in the gold medal game on Sunday for the third consecutive year. With Hagens’ third point, an assist on Cole Hutson’s second-period goal, the Americans took a 4-1 lead.

His three points were all assists.

Hagens finished the round-robin, averaging four points per game, highlighted by a six-point effort against Finland in the final game. He entered the semifinal game against Slovakia with 19 points, just two off the record and three from setting it himself.

Kucherov registered 11 goals and 21 points with Russia back in 2011, helping his nation win bronze while taking home best forward honors. The record before that was 19 points set by Finland’s Toni Rajala in 2009, with Alex Ovechkin putting up 18 as a 16-year-old in 2002.

Two American players have come close in recent years, with both Jack Hughes (2019) and Will Smith (2023) scoring nine goals and 20 points each. But Hagens produced at the best rate ever seen at this event, entering Saturday’s bout with a 3.80 points-per-game average.

Hagens was joined by linemates Teddy Stiga and Brodie Ziemer, both of whom had over 10 points each heading into the medal round.

A Boston College commit, Hagens is projected to be the top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft. He helped USA win gold at this same event last year, beating Sweden in overtime in Basel, Switzerland.