J.P. Hurlbert’s road to Michigan comes with a family history that runs straight through Detroit.
The Red Wings used their 2026 first-round pick on one of USA Hockey’s most talked-about 2008-born forwards, and Hurlbert has spent the last few years backing up the buzz with huge numbers. Since the 2022-23 season, when he scored 112 goals and 195 points in 75 games for the Dallas Stars Elite 14U AAA club, he’s kept piling up production at select USA Hockey tournaments, during a year with the U.S. NTDP, and in a season in the WHL.
For Hurlbert, the Wolverines aren’t just the next stop. They’re part of a dream that started at home.
“That’s why I kind of got into hockey… My dad was a big Red Wings fan and a Red Wings jersey was the first one I owned. It’s always been there, so it’s for sure always been in our family’s blood.”
He also said his family still has framed jerseys from Dylan Larkin’s time at Michigan and with the Red Wings hanging on the wall. Now Hurlbert is following the same college path Larkin took in 2014, when the 15th-overall pick spent one season at Michigan before launching an NHL career that grew steadily from there.
The connection doesn’t stop there. Like Larkin’s Wolverines team, this Michigan group includes a star draft prospect on defense, a high-scoring veteran forward, and a returning center to stabilize the lineup. In Hurlbert’s case, those roles are filled by Landon DuPont, William Horcoff, and Michael Hage.
That group gives Michigan plenty of firepower and has the Wolverines positioned as a favorite to win the Big Ten and the National Championship, even if they’re hardly alone in the early race for those titles.
Hurlbert’s own game should fit right into that kind of offense. His scoring touch and pace add another dangerous layer to college hockey’s highest-scoring attack, but the setup also creates a new challenge: there are only so many touches to go around. A player like Hurlbert could find himself on a second power-play unit or seeing fewer minutes than he’s used to, especially with strong talent such as Henry Mews or Cameron Reid in the mix.
If that happens, his freshman season may not jump off the page the way Larkin’s did.
Still, Hurlbert sounds ready for the grind. He told D’Amico his focus is on getting bigger, stronger, and faster while soaking up the kind of coaching Michigan head coach and former Red Wings consultant Brandon Naurato can provide. The Wolverines will also lean on assistant coach and retired NHL winger Max Pacioretty to help Hurlbert keep his high-tempo scoring working against better competition.
That will be the test. Hurlbert’s lone WHL season produced 42 goals and 97 points in 68 games, with the Kamloops Blazers built to feed off his breakaway speed and quick hands. At Michigan, he’ll have to prove those tools still play when the offense isn’t running through him.
If he does, the path he’s taking will line up neatly with the dream he grew up with.
In Other News...
Dylan Larkins Red Wings Future Just Got A Lot Murkier
Dylan Larkin is still on the Red Wings roster more than two months after asking for a trade, and the longer this drags on, the more complicated the situation around him becomes. Detroit has already gone through a major front-office shift with Steve Yzerman gone, leaving Shawn Horcoff in an interim role as the organization tries to sort out what comes next for one of its most important players.
The problem is that the usual path to a clean resolution does not seem to be there right now, and Larkins future feels increasingly tied to a franchise that is still trying to stabilize itself. Even beyond the NHL club, there is uncertainty around the broader hockey business in Detroit, with the Professional Womens Hockey League and its Detroit franchise facing questions amid federal investigations involving league owner Mark Walter. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Prospect Max Plante Now Faces One Big NHL Question
Max Plantes rise has already put him on the Red Wings radar as one of their more intriguing prospects, and his sophomore season at Minnesota-Duluth only strengthened that case. Drafted 47th overall in 2024, he followed the usual prospect arc by staying in college, then broke through with the Hobey Baker Trophy as the top player in the college game, a sign that his skill set is translating at a high level against his age group.
Now the focus shifts to what comes next, and that is where the real test begins. Plante is expected to sign with Detroit after his junior season, and the likely path runs through Grand Rapids before he reaches Little Caesars Arena, with the bigger question being how quickly he adjusts to the size and pace of the pro game. His background and style give him a strong foundation, but the final step from standout prospect to NHL regular is still the one he has to clear. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Face A Costly Edvinsson Decision Amid Front Office Uncertainty
Simon Edvinsson has reached the stage where his next contract matters almost as much as his play on the ice, and the Red Wings are not moving through that process with the kind of front-office stability teams usually want. Edvinsson is part of a growing class of young defensemen with more than 100 NHL games on their resumes, which puts him in a different negotiating lane than a prospect still trying to establish himself. For Detroit, the timing is tricky because the club is still without a general manager, and that delay is already slowing the kind of extension talks that can shape a roster for years.
Around the league, similar decisions are starting to set the market, and Detroit will be watching closely because the numbers attached to rising defensemen are not getting any friendlier. The question for the Red Wings is where Edvinsson fits in that landscape once the front office is finally in place, especially with a clear sense that the club cannot afford to misread the cost of keeping a core piece in the fold. Until that process gets moving, his extension remains one of the more consequential unresolved items on the teams offseason board. [Read more 🡒]