Buffalo — When he was growing up, J.P. Hurlbert used to ride around in his grandpa’s car while listening to stories of Gordie Howe and the old Detroit Olympia. Now, he’s the latest NHL Draft pick of his grandpa’s favorite NHL team.
J.P. Hurlbert, an incoming freshman forward for the Michigan hockey team, was drafted 23rd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft at Buffalo’s KeyBank Center.
“It’s a dream come true to be honest. I got into hockey through the Red Wings. My whole family is from Detroit,” Hurlbert said Friday. “So to hear my name called for them especially, it’s so exciting and I just can’t wait to get started.”
The Red Wings moved up to select Hurlbert by trading goalie Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth. He is the latest first-round selection by Detroit since the beginning of its 10-year playoff drought in 2017.
Hurlbert’s father, Jeff, grew up in Detroit and was a big Red Wings fan during the height of the 25-year playoff streak before the current 10-year drought. It was those games that he put on the TV, and the younger Hurlbert used to run around their Texas home shouting “hockey, hockey hockey.” That sparked a love of the game that has now made him a first-round pick.
“As a kid, this is the spot that I would have chosen,” Hurlbert said, grinning behind a microphone. “For me to actually be in it now, it’s crazy.”
During summers that get boiling hot in Texas, Hurlbert used to spend at least two weeks visiting his grandparents’ lake house in Michigan. He says it’s a place he considers home. He also spent time with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth during the 2024-25 season, before heading to the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers for his draft year. Hurlbert scored 42 goals and notched 55 assists in 68 games there. He was the league’s Rookie of the Year for his efforts, and a first-team all-star.
“I think I’m an offensive-minded player, I like to kind of get hidden and find soft ice,” Hurlbert said. “I kind of anticipate plays. I think my shot and my deception is very accurate, and so I feel very confident putting the puck where it needs to go.”
Next up: Michigan. And make it 10 straight NHL Drafts that a Michigan hockey player has gone in the NHL Draft.
Hurlbert said that one of his favorite players growing up is Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who also went to Michigan before becoming a star with Detroit. Larkin, however, demanded a trade this offseason after scoring 643 points in 808 career games in 11 seasons. Only once, as a rookie, did Larkin get to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hurlbert is also a fan of Pavel Datsyuk, especially his deceptive puck-handling.
Detroit’s front office is extensively familiar with Michigan’s hockey program — two of the Red Wings’ brass sent their sons there. Assistant general manager Kris Draper’s son, seventh-round Detroit pick Kienan Draper, played four years at Michigan before graduating this year. Current Wolverine Will Horcoff, son of assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff, will play with Hurlbert this season.
“Horcoff’s such an amazing person and I got to spend some time with him this last weekend at Michigan,” Hurlbert said of his future teammate. “I’m just really looking forward to getting to meet everybody in the organization and get up there.”
Detroit also knows Hurlbert’s previous team, Kamloops, well after it developed seventh-round pick Emmitt Finnie into an NHL player.
“He’s been a big thing in our locker room” Hurlbert said.
Though he grew up in Texas, Hurlbert is the fourth generation of his family to attend Michigan, though the first to do so as a college athlete. That streak includes his father, who was a classmate and friend of UM goaltender Marty Turco.
Now, Turco and Hurlbert are connected by college hockey ties, too, and Hurlbert will be a part of chasing Michigan’s first national championship since Turco ended his senior year on top in 1998. Michigan came close in a double overtime loss to Denver in the Frozen Four this past April. Hurlbert knows the stakes of what this season means for Michigan, which benefits from many top players including Michael Hage (Montreal), Will Horcoff (Pittsburgh) and Garrett Schifsky coming back.
“I think this is the team and year that can really do it,” Hurlbert told The Detroit News earlier this month, “and to be a kid who has watched it since they were 3 years old, going to Frozen Four games and watching the team lose, it’s just extra motivating to do it this year.”
Hurlbert is part of a strong freshman class for Michigan that includes projected No. 1 pick in 2027 Landon DuPont, a defenseman, as well as 2025 first round pick Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia).
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Red Wings trade goalie Cossa; draft Michigan winger Hurlbert
Reporting by Connor Earegood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Connor Earegood, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
