CARLSBAD, Calif., May 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upper Deck, the worldwide leader in sports and entertainment collectibles, is proud to announce the company’s next exclusive athlete, highly touted NHL top prospect Centerman, James Hagens. Upper Deck will be the sole producer of Hagens’ physical and digital trading cards, collectibles, and memorabilia, holding the core rights to his name, image, likeness, and autograph for upcoming hockey products.
“We’re excited to support James Hagens ahead of a monumental stage in his career and celebrate his successes as he prepares for the NHL Draft and his NHL debut,” said Upper Deck President Jason Masherah. “At Upper Deck, we pride ourselves on scouting the next generation of hockey greats and capturing their key moments with collectibles that fans covet. Beyond being a part of Hagens’ story, we’re thrilled to give fans the opportunity to own a piece of his professional journey from the very beginning.”
Hagens has been a stand-out and dynamic playmaking center for the Boston College Eagles and is widely regarded as a top prospect for the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft. He made an early impact during his time with the USNTDP after ranking second overall in team scoring with 26 goals and 40 assists across 43 games during the 2022-23 season. He went on to record another 39 goals and 63 assists during the 2023-24 season before leading the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championship with 22 points, earning MVP honors and a silver medal. Notably, Hagens helped to power the U.S. men’s national junior hockey team to win gold at the 2025 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
“I can’t think of a better way to start my professional hockey career than by becoming an exclusive Upper Deck athlete,” said Hagens. “Joining the same roster as players I look up to makes this moment even more special.”
Today, hockey fans can get their hands on the exclusive James Hagens memorabilia collection, which encapsulates these impressive early career highs with autographed prints, jerseys, pucks, and more, by visiting UpperDeckStore.com. Fans are encouraged to keep an eye out for upcoming trading card products, as well as additional memorabilia pieces, that will commemorate Hagens’ entire career.
About Upper Deck
Upper Deck is a global entertainment company creating trading cards, memorabilia, collectibles, games, and online platforms that deliver the experiences collectors crave. Upper Deck has set the unmatched industry standard for quality, authenticity, and innovation, and continues to bring generations of fans closer to their favorite athletes and characters with unique and authentic sports and entertainment product offerings, as well as its digital trading ecosystem. The company prides itself on creating collectibles that produce invaluable experiences for sports and entertainment's most dedicated and loyal fans, with a goal to deliver excellence to the community across the most coveted properties as a means to develop memorable moments for collectors of all kinds.
Find more information at http://www.upperdeck.com or www.UpperDeckBlog.com or follow us on Facebook (/UpperDeck), Instagram (UpperDeckSports), X (formerly known as Twitter) (UpperDeckSports), and YouTube (UDvids).
NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks and NHL Draft name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © 2025 NHL. All Rights Reserved.
Media Contact:
Nicole Brief, nicole@carvecomms.com
Matt Burkey, matt@carvecomms.com
