JP Hurlbert’s summer is shaping up to look a lot like a Michigan residency.
The Detroit Red Wings prospect was already expecting to spend plenty of time in the state after getting selected 23rd overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo. Then he added another layer to the plan by attending Red Wings development camp earlier this month, before heading back home to Allen, Texas, for some time with family and friends.
“I got to go enjoy some time with my friends and family,” Hurlbert said.
Now he’s back in Michigan again, and this time the schedule is centered on hockey. Hurlbert is one of three Red Wings draftees invited by USA Hockey to take part in the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase. He’ll be there with fellow 2026 pick Victor Plante, taken 47th overall, and 2025 selection Brent Solomon, who went 109th overall.
Team USA’s training camp is set for July 22-24 at the Belfor Training Center next to Little Caesars Arena. The World Junior Summer Showcase runs July 26-Aug. 1 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario.
“I’ve come back here to train, obviously,” Hurlbert said. “The I’ll go right down the road for World Junior Camp and then stay here for the rest of the summer and keep learning, keep training.”
That means more time around the Red Wings’ prospect group, which is exactly where Hurlbert wants to be for the rest of the offseason.
“Being with a lot of the prospects and then into Michigan,” Hurlbert listed as his plan for the remainder of the summer. “So I’ll spend a lot of time here for sure.”
Hurlbert arrives with plenty of momentum after scoring 42 goals for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers last season. Next season, he’s making the jump to the NCAA and will play for the Wolverines in nearby Ann Arbor.
“Yeah, I’m super excited to go to Michigan,” Hurlbert said. “I think Michigan’s a great college.
It’s obviously a lot of skill there, a tremendous staff. So when I got the opportunity, it was a no-brainer for me.
“I think the way Coach Nard (Brandon Naurato) thinks offense and can help them develop talent is world-class, and I’m just super excited to go there and learn from him.”
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