Brandon Hagel
BY: SUFYAN JAWED
August 5th, 2024
The goal of this new series is to give insight into a player on every team. The player will be randomly chosen by a panel of people close to me and this will hopefully give the general public better knowledge on a certain player in the show. Maybe you only really watch your hometown team, this will give you insight into a player that you may not have thought of in a deeper capacity.
Brandon Hagel - Left Winger
Age: 28 (August 14th, 1995)
Height: 6’2 Weight: 179 Lbs
Handedness: Left
Born: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
National Team: Canada
Draft: Round 6, 159th overall, 2016 NHL Entry Draft
Junior Team: Red Deer Rebels
NHL Year Status: Going into 7th year
Contract: 8 years x 6.5 (In year 1 of 8)
Team Role: Top 6 Forward
Career Stats
2023 - 2024 Stats
Brandon Hagel has found a home in Tampa Bay, and the extension he signed pretty soon after arriving there shows that. Now he's got a contract that he's well worth, and I have complete confidence that he will show that. Even though he would be categorized as undersized, Hagel is an aggressive player who gets to the challenging areas of the ice, which helps him succeed, especially on a team like Tampa and their skilled players. He's the perfect compliment to a team entire of stars, and now he's producing like one himself.
Strengths:
Net Front Chance Creation
As I said in the intro, Hagel has a favourite place on the ice, and it's right in the lower slot. According to NHL Edge, 17 of his 26 goals were from directly in front of the net. His shot and goals charts shown here demonstrate that he gets to the middle of the ice and creates damage. His heat marker on the shot chart shows he gets open for chances right in front and has an above-average finishing ability from in tight.
His first two goals in his hat-trick against the Habs last year perfectly embody his net-front presence asset to a tee. On the first goal, he finds a soft spot in front and uses his prime finishing ability from tight as he puts the rebound off the boards. The next goal was pure hard work as he fought for position and got himself open for a deflection. Hagel’s feistiness in-front is a significant asset to the Lightning as it opens up space for their superstars.
Passing
Hagel is an underrated passer, and his assist stats show that. Thirty-eight of his 49 assists last year were primary assists, and he also ranked 34th among forwards who played at least 600 minutes in assists per 60 mins. We already know he has excellent skills in tight, but he is fine creating chances for his teammates to get off the rush. Check out this saucer pass off the rush from his time in Chicago; Hagel shows patience in waiting for the defender to make the first move, then lays a perfect saucer pass in the perfect location to his teammate for an easy finish.
Defensive Abilities
Hagel is not only very defensively responsible, but he goes beyond that; his takeaway-to-giveaway ratio over his career is glaringly positive, meaning he doesn't make too many mistakes and can strip opponents of the puck. His career Takeaway/Giveaway ratio is 231/131, and of those 131 giveaways, 47 are defensive zone giveaways. That ratio is in the upper echelon among forwards, and it has to be attributed to Hagel's relentless pressure and pursuit of the puck. In the offensive zone, he causes turnovers by chasing down dump-ins and pressuring defenders into creating mistakes, and in that pressure, he creates more space for his skilled linemates to get open.
The Lightning gave up a big haul to get Hagel and threw the bank at him for good measure, so it's apparent that they believe in him. He's made a name that perfectly complements the Lightning's star-studded lineup. He has progressed in production each year he's been in the league. Another jump in production could be in the cards with the injection of Jake Guentzel into the lineup. If chemistry develops there, he could top 80 points for the first time.