Red Wings trade for No. 23 overall pick in 2026 NHL Entry Draft, take ‘offensive-minded’ Hurlbert

BUFFALO -- Getting in on the action during Round 1 of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the Detroit Red Wings acquired the No. 23 overall pick from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for goalie Sebastian Cossa and used it to select forward J.P. Hurlbert on Friday night.

“It’s a dream come true to be honest,” the 18-year-old told the assembled media at KeyBank Center. “Got into hockey through the Red Wings and my whole family is from Detroit, so to hear my name called for them especially is just so exciting and I just can’t wait to get started.”

Hurlbert led the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers in several offensive categories in 2025-26, including goals (42), assists (55) and points (97) in 68 regular-season games before recording three points (one goal, two assists) in four playoff contests. That production earned the 6-foot, 190-pound forward some impressive recognition, including the 2025-26 Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL Rookie of the Year and selection to the WHL Conference First All-Star Team.

“For me, I think all areas of my game improved tremendously throughout this year,” Hurlbert said. “Off the ice was a big growth year as well. Being kind of vulnerable, being a new kid in a new country, new team, not knowing anybody. So, kind of being out there, being open, getting to learn people’s backgrounds, their names, things like that.”

Assistant General Manager and Director of Amateur Scouting Kris Draper said the Red Wings were very excited to take Hurlbert, noting they believe he’s one of the more offensively creative prospects the organization has picked in recent memory.

“I thought this year, he put up some real big numbers,” Draper said via Zoom. “He, for the most part, was leading the WHL in scoring for most of the year and then ended up being one of the top scorers. We think it’s a real good fit for what we’re looking for. Obviously, a prospect that has a knack around the net. Like I said, can score goals in different ways and certainly has some creativity when the puck is on the stick. We think it’s a good combination of that for us.”

Asked to describe his own game, Hurlbert said he considers himself an “offensive-minded player.”

“I like to kind of get hidden, find soft ice and anticipate plays,” Hurlbert said. “I think my shot, my deception, is very accurate. I feel confident in putting the puck where it needs to go. Just the same thing with making plays using deception, finding the open man…I think I’m very dangerous 5-on-5 and on the power play, so that’s what I’m going to bring.”

The next phase of Hurlbert’s development will take place in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he’s committed to the University of Michigan for the upcoming season – a fitting destination given the Allen, Texas native’s strong family connection to both the Wolverines and the Motor City.

“A lot of time in Texas for sure in the summers,” Hurlbert said. “But I’ve always, every summer, gone up [to Michigan] for at least two weeks. Spent it with my grandparents. They have a lake house up there, so I know the city really well. I know the area. It’s somewhere where I feel like I’m at home and it’s really easy to go back to.”

Those ties also influenced Hurlbert’s hockey fandom growing up, with his parents helping fuel his passion for the sport and supporting his journey every step of the way.

“Kind of starting off watching Red Wings games, running around the house, yelling ‘hockey, hockey, hockey’ with my dad, so that’s what got me into it,” Hurlbert said. “They’ve carried me the whole way here. So much travelling as a kid, taking me to events and practices, so I wouldn’t be sitting here without them.”

Detroit initially didn’t own a first-round pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, but Draper explained that the Red Wings’ expansive scouting staff was prepared for anything going into the weekend.

“You never know what was going to happen,” Draper said. “Obviously, at the Trade Deadline, we ended up trading our first-round pick and brought in Justin Faulk. So, for us it was just basically continue doing the job, watching the players, knowing the players and if something were to come up and Steve was able to add a first-round pick, make sure that we were ready to go. That’s exactly what we did, and the opportunity came being able to make a trade with Utah and gave us the opportunity to select J.P.”

On the topic of Friday night’s trade itself, Draper also reflected on Cossa’s time in the organization. The former first-round pick (No. 15 overall) in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft posted a 2.46 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and eight shutouts in 123 regular-season games with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins from 2022-26.

“He was a great prospect for us,” Draper said. “We really invested a lot of time, felt that Sebastian obviously continued to grow and he did get better. He came to the rink, he was a pro. I think he definitely grew up over the last couple years of playing in Grand Rapids, had some good games and ended up being an American League All-Star in back-to-back seasons. It ended up that it was just something that didn’t quite work out for us, but when you select someone, you want to put him in the best situation.”

Day 2 of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft will kick off at KeyBank Center on Saturday morning, with the Red Wings slated to make seven more picks.

Draper said Detroit’s overall strategy during Rounds 2-7 will center on a "best player available" approach.

“Obviously, the one thing that everyone knows about tonight and tomorrow is how unpredictable the Draft can be,” Draper said. “So, you sit down from the start of the season to the end of the season and you put names on a list and from there, you just keep going. Names are going to come off the list tomorrow and we just got make sure when the Detroit Red Wings are on the clock and it’s our opportunity to select a prospect, we just want to continue to add prospects to our prospect pool. That's really the mindset that we're going to have going into tomorrow."