DobberHockey’s Alexander MacLean estimates which players fantasy hockey poolies should pick for their “dynasty” fantasy hockey leagues this upcoming season, and MacLean suggests that Red Wings 2026 draft pick JP Hurlbert might make his NHL debut by the end of the 2026-2027 season:
Pick 18 – J.P. Hurlbert (RW) – DET
Another high-upside winger available in this range, Hurlbert thrived in the WHL where he could showcase his offence, and is off to Michigan in the NCAA this coming season who is loading up for another championship run. It’s possible that if he thrives there too, that he could be one and done at the NCAA level and see a few NHL games at the end of the season for a Wings team that likely won’t be playoff bound.
Continued; I’m not certain whether Hurlbert will end up in the NHL by the end of the season, obviously, given Detroit’s preference for “seasoning” their prospects in the AHL before they graduate from the Grand Rapids Griffins to the NHL.
After scoring 42 goals and accumulating 97 points over the course of 68 games with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers this past season, it’s entirely possible that Hurlbert can continue to buck the developmental curve…
But Detroit’s just not the kind of team to give young players late-season “cups of coffee” with the big team just to give them some NHL experience.
