| Brandon Hagel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Hagel with theTampa Bay Lightning in January 2023 | |||
| Born | (1998-08-27)August 27, 1998 (age 27) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Tampa Bay Lightning Chicago Blackhawks | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| NHL draft | 159th overall,2016 Buffalo Sabres | ||
| Playing career | 2020–present | ||
Brandon Hagel (born August 27, 1998) is a Canadian professionalice hockeyforward currently playing for theTampa Bay Lightning of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 159th overall by theBuffalo Sabres in the2016 NHL entry draft but did not sign with the team. Hagel made his NHL debut with theChicago Blackhawks in March 2020, following a junior career with theRed Deer Rebels of theWestern Hockey League (WHL), where he set a franchise record for most assists. He has since played in the NHL and has representedCanada internationally, winninggold medals at both the 2021IIHF World Championship and the 20254 Nations Face-Off.
Hagel began his Bantam and Midget AAA ice hockey career with the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers in theAlberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL).[1] Despite recording 41 points in 33 games during the 2012–13 AMHL season, he was overlooked in the 2013Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam draft. Following this, he finished third in the AMHL in points and was named to the Second All-Star Team.[2] He finished his Bantam and Midget career playing with theWhitecourt Wolverines and recording one goal and two assists in two games.[1]
On September 17, 2015, Hagel was signed as a free agent by theRed Deer Rebels in theWestern Hockey League.[1] In his rookie season with the team, he helped lead them to the2016 Memorial Cup against theLondon Knights[3] and earned a final ranking of 104th overall by theNHL Central Scouting Bureau.[4] In an interview, Hagel attributed much of his success to head coach and general managerBrent Sutter, saying "having Brent as a coach, he pushes you every night. You have to get into the hard areas and the dirty areas for success to come...That’s what has sunk in is that for success to come, those things have to happen first. When those happen, success is going to come."[5] Hagel was eventually selected 159th overall by theBuffalo Sabres in the2016 NHL entry draft.[6]
Prior to the2017–18 season, Hagel participated in both the Rebels' and Sabres' training camps. During a scrimmage with the Rebels, Hagel suffered a knee injury and was expected to be returned to the WHL to complete the season.[7] Despite this, he was named analternate captain and recorded three goals and two assists in back-to-back games against theEdmonton Oil Kings.[8] Although he was healthy to begin the season, Hagel experienced an upper body injury and missed six weeks to recover.[9]
By June 1, 2018, the Sabres had not signed Hagel to a contract and relinquished their rights to him, allowing him to become eligible for the2018 NHL entry draft.[10][11] He was subsequently invited to theMontreal Canadiens training camp on a tryout basis but began the2018–19 season with the Rebels.[12] After recording 30 points in 19 games, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with theChicago Blackhawks worth $925,000.[13] He continued his success through his final season in the WHL, where he set a new franchise record for most assists and was selected for the WHL Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team.[14] Hagel surpassedArron Asham's 161 former franchise assist record on February 9, 2019, in a game against theMoose Jaw Warriors.[15] On March 1, 2019, Hagel scored his 100th WHL point and 38th goal of the season in a 4–7 loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers.[16]
After the Rebels were knocked out of the 2019 WHL playoffs, Hagel joined the BlackhawksAmerican Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theRockford IceHogs, for eight games and recorded one point.[17] He attended the Blackhawks training camp before the2018–19 NHL season but was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs to begin the2018–19 AHL season.[18] Hagel made his NHL debut on March 11, 2020, the day before theNHL season was postponed due toCOVID-19.[19]
As ablack ace in the Blackhawks' first-round playoff exit, Hagel did not feature in a game. With the 2020–21 season being postponed, Hagel was loaned to a second tierSwiss League club,HC Thurgau, on September 30, 2020.[20]
As arestricted free agent with the Blackhawks following his2020–21 season, Hagel was resigned to a three-year, $4.5 million contract extension on August 6, 2021.[21]
In his third season with the Blackhawks, Hagel had already established new career highs with 21 goals and 16 assists for 37 points through 55 games. With Chicago out of playoff contention, the team traded Hagel alongside two fourth-round picks to theTampa Bay Lightning in exchange forTaylor Raddysh,Boris Katchouk, and two first-round picks in2023 (Oliver Moore) and2024 (Sacha Boisvert).[22]
Hagel played the remainder of the 2021–22 season with the Lightning, recording four goals and three assists for a total of seven points through 22 games as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning finished the season as the fifth seed on the East. During the2022 playoffs, he posted two goals and four assists for six points with the Lightning en route to a third straight appearance in theStanley Cup Final, in which they were defeated by the top-seededColorado Avalanche in six games.[23]
In his first full season with the Lightning in2022–23, Hagel achieved career highs in both points and goals, with 30 goals and 34 assists for 65 points in 81 games. He set a new career high in each category and finished fourth on the team in points and the Lightning as a team finished sixth in the East.[23] In the2023 playoffs, he posted a goal and four assists for five points in a six-game first-round exit to theirAtlantic Division rival, the third-seededToronto Maple Leafs.[23]
Before the 2023–24 season, Hagel and the Lightning agreed to an 8-year contract extension worth $52 million.[24][25] Hagel had another career-best season with 75 points across 82 regular season games. In the2024 playoffs, he registered three goals and two assists for five points in all five games in Tampa Bay's first-round exit to the second-seeded and eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.[26]
Hagel recorded 35 goals and 55 assists for a career-high of 90 points in the2024-25 season. He finished second on the team in points, behindArt Ross Trophy winnerNikita Kucherov. In February, Hagel was named the NHL'sfirst star of the week after recording a league-high four goals and four assists.[27][28] In Tampa Bay's first round playoff exit, Hagel received a one-game suspension for a hit that sent Florida Panthers' captainAleksander Barkov to the locker room in Game 2 of the series.[29][30] When Hagel returned in Game 4, Florida's alternate captainAaron Ekblad struck Hagel in the head, taking him out of the game.[31] The team's medical staff confirmed Hagel suffered aconcussion from the hit, officially ending his season.[32][33] The hit sparked controversy as Ekblad was only penalized after the game and went on to score an equalizing goal.[34]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2021 Latvia | |
| 4 Nations Face-Off | ||
| Winner | 2025 Canada/United States | |
Hagel's success in the2020–21 NHL season saw him earn his first invitation to represent Canada internationally, joining thesenior national team for the2021 IIHF World Championship. He called the opportunity "something special."[35] He did not register a point in the course of the tournament, which saw Team Canada lose its first three games before rallying to make a deep run to the championship game, where they defeatedFinland for the gold medal.[36]
Following the Tampa Bay Lightning's ouster in the first round of the2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Hagel again joined Team Canada for the2024 IIHF World Championship.[37]
In December 2024, it was announced that Hagel would be a part of Canada's 23-player roster for the2025 4 Nations Face-Off, which replaced the 2025 NHL All-Star Game.[38] Notably, in a game against the United States, Brandon Hagel andMatthew Tkachuk began to fight immediately following the opening puck drop.[39] This started a series of brawls, with play stopped three separate times due to fighting in the first nine seconds.[40][41][42] Team Canada and Hagel won the tournament after eliminating the United States in the final with a 3–2 overtime victory.[43]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Whitecourt Wolverines | AJHL | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Whitecourt Wolverines | AJHL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 72 | 13 | 34 | 47 | 46 | 17 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 18 | ||
| 2016–17 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 65 | 31 | 40 | 71 | 85 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 2017–18 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 56 | 18 | 41 | 59 | 45 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 16 | ||
| 2018–19 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 66 | 41 | 61 | 102 | 80 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 2018–19 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 59 | 19 | 12 | 31 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HC Thurgau | SL | 14 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 52 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 55 | 21 | 16 | 37 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 22 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 25 | ||
| 2022–23 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 81 | 30 | 34 | 64 | 54 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 82 | 26 | 49 | 75 | 79 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 82 | 35 | 55 | 90 | 58 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| NHL totals | 375 | 125 | 172 | 297 | 233 | 37 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 32 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Canada | WC |  | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Canada | WC | 4th | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2025 | Canada | 4NF | | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| Senior totals | 24 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Juniors | ||
| AMHL Second All-Star team | 2015 | [14] |
| WHL (East) Second All-Star team | 2019 | [14] |
| NHL | ||
| NHL Second All-Star Team | 2025 | [44] |
Brandon Hagel currently holds the followingNHL records:
Hagel was born inSaskatoon, Saskatchewan, but was raised inMorinville, Alberta.[48] He grew up idolizingAlexander Ovechkin, even decorating his childhood bedroom with an Ovechkin theme. His father was a sales manager in the roofing industry and his mother worked in insurance. He has two siblings, a brother, Tyler, and a sister, Chelsea.[49] During hisjunior hockey career, Hagel considered stepping away from professional hockey. At the start of the 2018 Junior A season, he planned to pursue a college education and become a teacher if he did not receive an NHL contract by December of that year.[50] He had already registered for classes[51] when, in October 2018, he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, marking the beginning of his professional hockey career.
Hagel is an advocate formental health awareness, having lost three family members to suicide since 2017. Since joining the Tampa Bay Lightning, he has been an active participant in the NHL'sHockey Talks initiative.[52]
On Monday, the NHL named Hagel as its First Star of the Week. This is the first time he has been named one of the three stars, and it's a well-deserved honor at that.
As the puck was dropped for the game's opening faceoff, Team USA's Matthew Tkachuk and Team Canada's Brandon Hagel dropped the gloves. They had a spirited fight, with each player landing big blows, before Hagel dragged Tkachuk to the ice, triggering a thunderous roar from the sellout Bell Centre crowd.
According to NHL Public Relations, the Lightning star has set a single-season NHL record by scoring 32 goals before getting his first power-play goal. Former Winnipeg Jets forward Doug Smail previously held the record with 31 goals before getting a power-play tally, which was back during the 1984–85 season.
Brandon Hagel tied an NHL record with four assists in the opening period and finished with five as the Tampa Bay Lightning cruised past the Colorado Avalanche 8–2 on Monday.
I was signing up for classes, getting ready to go to school," Hagel says. "My dream was crushed, not signing with an NHL team at first.
The sticker honors Hagel's uncle Derek, one of three family members the Lightning forward has lost to suicide since 2017.