After trading up to land the WHL’s reigning Rookie of the Year, Detroit welcomes a high-scoring forward whose lifelong family ties to the Motor City make this selection a dream homecoming.
On Friday night at the NHL Draft, the Detroit Red Wings made a splash, sending goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for the 23rd overall pick. Detroit would go on to use the pick on Kamloops Blazers forward JP Hurlbert, who grew up dreaming of wearing a Red Wings jersey.
The Allen, Texas native 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.
Hurlbert spoke to Sportsnet's Ailish Forfar shortly after his selection and made it clear that being picked by Detroit is about more than just hockey for him.
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The six-foot, 190 pound forward will enter the organization with high expectations as the piece Detroit sent to Utah in Sebastian Cossa is widely viewed as a potential difference-maker at the NHL level as early as next season, meaning the pressure on Hurlbert to deliver early on.
What Red Wings fans can be sure of is that they are getting a player who is deeply passionate about the organization and will pour everything into representing it well. Detroit fans may not have to wait long for a first look either. Hurlbert has committed to the University of Michigan, putting him in close proximity to the Red Wings organization and his family in the area.
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