Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2024 Top 25 Under 25: 25 Hagen Burrows

We kick off the latest edition of the Top 25 Under 25 with one of the newest members of the organization – Hagen Burrows. The 18-year-old was drafted by the Bolts in the 2024 draft and will be heading off to college at the University of Denver this season.

Stats

Our Thoughts

It looks like the Lightning are starting to develop a type. For the second year in a row, they looked to the Minnesota high school hockey system and snatched up the top player. In 2023 it was Jayson Shaugabay, and this summer it was Hagen Burrows. That is back-to-back Minnesota Mr. Hockey’s added to the system.

Burrows put up back-to-back 50-point seasons at Minnetonka High and recorded 22 points in 25 games (9 goals, 13 assists) with Sioux City in the USHL. He had the option to go back to the USHL for this upcoming season, but will join the defending NCAA champions at the University of Denver instead.

That decision is a bit of a two-edged sword. Yes, he is going to a world-class collegiate organization, but it could be difficult for him to find playing time on a competitive roster as Burrows joins 12 other drafted prospects on the Pioneers’ roster. It should be a good spot for Burrows to learn what he needs to do in order to make it to the next level under the guidance of head coach David Carle.

It does seem like he was initially planning on returning to Sioux City, but, as he put it, “an opportunity opened up” in Denver, and he decided to pursue it. Chances are the opportunity was Miko Matikka signing his entry-level contract with Utah and presenting the Pioneers with an open spot on the forward lines. Because of his commitment to the University of Denver, Burrows had to take some mandatory classes during the summer and wasn’t able to attend the Lightning development camp that was held after the draft.

Overall, his professional future is still a bit murky. There is absolutely no doubt that he possesses high-end skills, but every profile that we could find questions his skating. Not just in the traditional “he needs to improve his skating” that we see in mid-round prospects, but in the sense that he just doesn’t move very fast on the ice.

As Elite Prospects put it in their draft guide,

“Almost every Burrows on-puck entry is slow and methodical,” Crossover scout Daniel Gee wrote in a January game report. “He adjusts his rush pattern to the inside and blends a ton of playmaking (slips, area pass). Burrows’ biggest hurdle by far is just how little pace he operates with – there’s little flow to his game, he slows down every attacking sequence, and he is straight-legged off most of his actions.”

That being said, they were also quick to praise his hockey vision and ability to handle the puck under pressure, which he apparently has had a lot of practice at since his low pace of play invites other teams to attack him. Over at The Athletic, Corey Pronman echoed similar concern and praise for the kid they called “The Professor” in high school.

“He lacks separation speed for the pro game, but there are enough wow-caliber passes in his game with his frame to make me think he has a shot to be a useful depth player for an NHL team.”

While watching his highlights and reading the reviews, the pace of play is noticeable. It’s unlikely that Burrows is ever going to be the type of player who overwhelms his opponents with speed and power, but if there is any team whose fan base that can appreciate that there is more than one way to score a goal, it’s the Tampa Bay Lightning. Just look at what Nikita Kucherov can do while seemingly standing around on the ice barely moving.

This isn’t to say that Burrows is the next Kuch, but if a player has the hockey vision and the ability to deceive opponents, they don’t need to play like their hair is on fire to be effective. The biggest problem Burrows will face is the fact that the game will speed up a considerable amount as he progresses from high school/USHL to college to pros. Passing lanes and open plays that were there against high school competition will get shut down a lot faster in college and in the AHL. He’ll have to find a way to accommodate that as he advances.

At 6’3″ he has a long lanky frame that will need to fill out a little as well. He was pretty solid along the boards in high school and the USHL, but battling against larger and heavier players in the college ranks will be a lot tougher for him. Defensively, he is apt at reading plays and can shut down plays in the neutral zone. He’s also not a bad forechecker considering his current lack of of footspeed.

It will be interesting to check back on him next year to see how he handled his first year at a top-level college program. As of right now, the consensus is that if everything breaks right for him and he can improve his skating, he has the skills to be a middle-six forward. His low-end projection seems to be a very good AHL player, maybe a taller version of Alex Barre-Boulet.

Also, it seems the kid knew his destiny. While he was an admitted Wild fan growing up, he also followed the Lightning. A friend moved to Tampa during his youth and Burrows would visit them on occasion. During those visits he would watch the Bolts play at Amalie Arena.

Highlight Videos

There is nothing super fancy about his first career USHL goal. He dished it off to his teammate and then went to the net. With his stick on the ice he made a nice deflection, up and under the bar.

This is a similar goal on a two-on-one. He gave the puck to his teammate with plenty of room to give him the option to shoot or pass. That initial pass often comes too late and players run out of ice to make a play.

Behind the net, Burrows used his size to shield the defender off of him and created enough room to pivot out and find his teammate in the slot. The pass is right on the stick for the quick one-timer. Well done.