Detroit sacrificed their top goaltending prospect to gamble on a prolific North Texas sniper who dominated the WHL, signaling a bold shift toward high-octane offensive star power.
In one of the most talked about moves of the 2026 NHL Draft, the Detroit Red Wings traded top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for the 23rd overall pick and used it to select offensive forward JP Hurlbert, a North Texas product who may go down as one of the best hockey exports the Dallas area has ever produced.
The Red Wings dealt a six-foot-six netminder who posted a 26-8-4 record, a 2.33 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in 39 AHL games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, a goalie widely projected to become an NHL starter, for a pick they used on an 18-year-old from Allen, Texas. The boldness of that move speaks volumes about how highly Detroit's front office thinks of Hurlbert.
He's is coming off one of the most impressive rookie seasons the WHL has seen in years, posting 42 goals and 97 points in 68 games with the Kamloops Blazers, finishing fourth in the entire league in scoring and earning WHL Rookie of the Year honors in the process.
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Coming up through the Dallas Stars Elite AAA system, Hurlbert put together the kind of youth numbers that make scouts do a double take, including a 112-goal, 195-point season at the 14U level. That foundation earned him a spot in the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he recorded 68 points in 90 games as a 16-year-old.
Detroit clearly sees a future top-six forward capable of driving offense at the NHL level. Cossa will now head to Utah, where he is expected to compete for crease time alongside Karel Vejmelka next season. If Hurlbert becomes what Detroit believes he can be, the deal could be worth it and the Red Wings will have pulled off a sharp deal and secured the very best that North Texas hockey has to offer.
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