Hurlbert made most of opportunity in WHL ahead of 2026 NHL Draft

The 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The first round will be June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 on June 27 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at forward JP Hurlbert from Kamloops in the Western Hockey League. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

JP Hurlbert wasn't necessarily looking for a change. But he's also not one to pass on a great opportunity.

At least, that's how the 18-year-old forward viewed his chance to play for Kamloops in the WHL during his NHL draft season.

And after finishing fourth in the league with 42 goals and 97 points in 68 games and winning the Jim Piggott Trophy as WHL rookie of the year, it's clear he made the right choice.

"I think it was a great move for me," Hurlbert said. "I really enjoyed my time there. It was such a great organization, great team, great place to live, and we had a lot of success, a lot of success individually, and it was a great year."

It wasn't a move that Hurlbert thought would be available. 

Kamloops had selected the native of Allen, Texas, in the first round (No. 20) of the 2023 WHL U.S. Priority Draft. Coach/general manager Shaun Clouston said the organization knew it was a risk using the pick on a player committed to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and then college hockey, but one he felt was worth making.

Clouston said the lines of communication between Kamloops and Hurlbert and his advisors at CAA remained open the past two years.

"We tried to get him to (training) camp each year," he said. "So there was always communication and the messaging was always, 'Hey, if anything ever changes, we'd love to have you.'"

That change came when the NCAA amended its rules in November, 2024, to grant players with Canadian Hockey League eligibility to play college hockey. 

At that time, Hurlbert was playing for the NTDP Under-17 team, where he had 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) in 56 games, and had committed to attend the University of Michigan in 2026-27.

"My commitment to Michigan, obviously, was prior to the rule change," Hurlbert said. "So once it happened, it definitely opened a lot more doors for me and was just really happy about it."

Clouston said Hurlbert just needed to understand the opportunity that was waiting for him in Kamloops.

"During the offseason this looked like a good spot," he said. "There was a lot of evaluating our program, our roster, opportunity, those types of things. The vast majority of it was really the agency, and once we sort of answered all the questions I think that they had, and sort of built the level of trust there, it was all-in."

And Hurlbert was all-in from the drop of the puck, with a hat trick in his first game and 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) during a season-opening six-game point streak.

He also was all-in off the ice, so much so that he was named an alternate captain.

"During the summer each year we kind of establish the core of our leadership group and spend a little bit of time with them," Clouston said. "When we went through training camp and exhibition games and kind of sit down with returning players, (we asked) who's the next guy in the group who's going to be a part of this? It's not just you two or three guys. JP was a guy that everybody recognized right away that not only is he a good player, but he's going to be able to help lead the team. It was unanimous with that group that he should wear a letter."

Hurlbert said nothing changed for him when he was added to the leadership group.

"I think just being myself," he said. "Putting yourself out there was a big thing for me. It was just having fun with it. It's a group of guys that are from a foreign country and you don't really know them, so just doing little things away from the rink, like pickleball and going to a movie was a big thing. We all found we have a love for the game, so we were able to bond through that, and then just help voice your opinion to help the team win."

And Kamloops did win, finishing fifth in the Western Conference and making the playoffs after failing to qualify the previous two seasons.

Hurlbert helped in several ways, playing all three forward spots and on the penalty kill.

"All aspects of my game kind of grew, and not even skills that you have on the ice, off the ice, accepting more of a leadership role, playing a lot of games, being responsible with what you eat, your sleep," he said. "So it was really a big growth year for me, and it was kind of exciting to see all the progress that came with it."

NHL Central Scouting certainly regarded his season well, placing him No. 12 in its final ranking of North American skaters.

"He got out of the gate really strong, from the get-go he started scoring a lot and early, so he drew a lot of attention from scouts but also from the opposition," Central Scouting senior western scout John Williams said. "And what I like about his game is that he continued to develop as the season went on. I remember seeing them early on in Kamloops and he wasn't spending a lot of time coming back into his own zone, and knowing the coach that wasn't going to fly too well. And by the end of the year, he's, like, his top penalty-killer. He's a very dog-on-a-bone kind of a player, he's going all the time. 

"He's played all three forward positions. He kills penalties. He's an excellent penalty-killer and obviously the power play is where he can really shine. He scores and he scored a lot this year. ... He's also an excellent playmaker."

He'll spend the offseason training in Texas to refine those skills as he gets ready to head to college, and potentially the NHL.

"For me it's kind of everything, continuing to grow all aspects of my game," Hurlbert said. "The end goal is to play in the NHL, and to do that I've got to keep getting better at everything, and just come in and have a great summer, and just be super confident once it's opening night."