Red Wings select J.P. Hurlbert at No. 23 overall of 2026 NHL Draft
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Red Wings select J.P. Hurlbert at No. 23 overall of 2026 NHL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The Detroit Red Wings have officially drafted top prospect J.P. Hurlbert with the No. 23 overall selection of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Hurlbert heard his name called in the first round in Buffalo, N.Y. on June 26 — the pick originally belonged to the Utah Mammoth, but the Red Wings acquired the pick (and thus Hurlbert) in exchange for goaltender Sebastian Cossa. Hurlbert entered the drafted ranked 12th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and was previously listed by NHL.com as the No. 6 available left wing in this year's draft.
Hurlbert said to The Sporting News back in May that he's worked his entire life to hear his name called by an NHL organization in the first round.
"It's be a dream come true," Hurlbert said of hearing his name called in the first round. "It's something that not many people in the world get to say they've been a first-round pick, and it's something I've strived for since I was 10 years old. To finally be here today, it's super exciting; super emotional to think about."
Hurlbert is currently committed to the University of Michigan, Detroit is less than an hour drive away for the soon-to-be Wolverine — of which Hurlbert is continuing a college tradition that has been in his family for four generations now.
The winger is the reigning Western Hockey League Rookie of the Year and is coming off time with both the U.S. National Team Development Program and the WHL's Kamloops Blazers; he's known for his competitive nature on the ice and possessing a high-level of goal scoring ability.
An Allen, Texas native, Hurlbert was among the Dallas Stars Elite's top goal-scorers throughout his entire youth hockey career. He even tallied a whopping 48 goals in addition to logging 40 assists during his 2023-24 year with the Dallas Stars Elite 16U team.
Director of Operations and 16U Head Coach Eric Silverman of Dallas Stars Elite said that there should be no question on whether or not Hurlbert will be able to offensively produce for the Rangers.
"If you look at J.P.'s history, he'll bring offense. He's a very competitive kid. He's probably as good a pure goal scorer as there is in the age group," Silverman said to The Sporting News. "One thing I know about J.P. is his best quality is how driven he is to be great, and I know he'll put the work in and do whatever to takes to find his way to be successful.
"He's a goal scorer. He has scored in every level he's been at, and I expect that to continue."
Red Wings' Offensive Prospect Pool Gets Boost via J.P. Hurlbert
In addition to high offensive production throughout youth hockey, Hurlbert recently finished fourth in the entire WHL scoring race in the regular season — posting 42 goals and 55 assists for a total of 97 points in 68 games.
Hurlbert previously said that what makes him so successful in his offensive pursuits is his shot — which he perfected in his Texas backyard.
"For me, I think it's my shot," Hurlbert previously said of what he thinks will make him stand out from other offensive prospects. "I've had a net, some pucks in my backyard since I was six years old, making targets with my dad. It's just something that [has] created muscle memory. It's a habit, and it's just an area of my game where I feel very confident."
Courtesy: Hurlbert Family
Detroit currently has J.T. Compher, David Perron, Lucas Raymond and James van Riemsdyk. Perron was born in 1988 and van Riemsdyk is also already 37; Hurlbert could very much be looked at as one of the next LW prospects in line.
Hurlbert, who has said he's known for never being complacent in his skillset, will certainly do whatever it takes to represent the Original Six organization well.
"There's so much that goes into the game and trying to develop. I think working on my strengths and working at working on my weaknesses at the same time is kind of [my] big priority," Hurlbert said.