Blackhawks: Forward Brandon Hagel scores his first NHL goal

The Chicago Blackhawks won their tenth game of the season Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The night was notable for one young rookie, as forward Brandon Hagel scored his first NHL goal, adding to the list of young guns who’ve scored for Chicago this year.

It seems like Hagel’s goal tonight may have been a twist of fate. Hagel had come close to his first marker on a number of previous occasions but never managed to find the back of the net. Per Blackhawks’ digital writer Carter Baum, Hagel was asked about his goal-scoring woes before the game, and the forward was confident:

I’m sure the goals will follow, I’ve done it before. It’s not something I’m really worried about. I know that I can produce at this level, it may not have happened yet, but I’m sure it will.

Hagel’s first goal would come just hours later, during the second period of a tied game versus Columbus. Patrick Kane threw a puck on net that deflected up high. After a fortuitous bounce, it wound up right in front of Hagel, who threw the puck into the open net past Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo:

Hagel’s goal would help the Blackhawks emerge victorious, as they eventually won the game in a shootout. After the game, he stated that he had “dreamt of this my whole life,” and that, “there’s no better feeling than getting a pass from a legend [Patrick Kane] as well.”

Chicago Blackhawks’ Forward Brandon Hagel scored his first NHL goal on Tuesday night.

The youngster also has no problem throwing his weight around, as seen earlier this month against these same Columbus Blue Jackets. Hagel fought Jackets star sniper Patrik Laine, and despite Laine having a 30-pound advantage, he was dropped by Hagel with a massive right-handed blow. It’s nice to see that the ‘Hawks have a physical guy that can contribute offensively as well.

The Alberta native was originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. However, he was unable to come to a deal with the Sabres and signed an entry-level contract with the ‘Hawks in 2018.

His NHL debut came after a four-year career with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels. He made a large impact with the team during all of these years, scoring 279 points. This includes a 102 point campaign in the 2019 season.

Congratulations to Brandon Hagel on his first NHL goal! Hopefully, this will be just one of many in his career. He’ll get another chance to get on the scoresheet when Chicago faces off with the Blue Jackets again on Thursday night at 6 p.m. CST.