Overview
- Detroit used the No. 23 overall pick to select J.P. Hurlbert, a 6-foot, 183-pound winger from the Kamloops Blazers who earned WHL Rookie of the Year honors.
- Hurlbert scored 42 goals and finished with 97 points in 68 regular-season games for Kamloops, a production that pushed him onto late first-round draft boards.
- The pick originally belonged to the Utah Mammoth and was moved to Detroit in the deal that sent goaltender Sebastian Cossa to Utah.
- Scouts praise Hurlbert’s shot, scoring instincts and playmaking, while noting persistent concerns about his play away from the puck and a lack of elite top-end speed.
- Hurlbert remains committed to the University of Michigan and is expected to develop in college before joining Detroit’s lineup, giving the Red Wings a long-term left‑wing option behind their current veterans.