Ahead of the start of the World Junior Summer Showcase tomorrow in Windsor, Ontario, Team USA’s WJSS team held a scrimmage at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center last night.
The Detroit News’s Connor Eargood took note of the following from said scrimmage, which included Red Wings prospects and U.S. World Junior Championship hopefuls JP Hurlbert, Victor Plante and Brent Solomon:
In the moments after his shootout goal put Team White up in the count, J.P. Hurlbert wore a pensive expression as he watched the rest of the sequence play out. His eyes followed each skater as they tried to decide a winner in Friday’s bout. When the shootout finally ended in a goal for teammate Mikey Berchild, Hurlbert beelined for his goaltender Xavier Wendt with a big grin and a hug.
Overall, Michigan-bound Hurlbert showed why he is one of Team USA’s most skilled forwards in Friday’s action. He also showed that there are steps he needs to take before he is a dominant game-breaker.
Hurlbert’s game is laden with skill, which made him good enough that Detroit traded into the first round and took him 23rd overall in June’s NHL Draft. He flaunted that raw ability with a first-period goal, picking the pocket of Team Blue defenseman Odin Vauhkonen and taking the puck straight to the net on a breakaway. With a deft move to slip the puck five-hole, he scored the 2-1 goal for his side. His pass to Berchild on the power play also led to the 4-1 goal.
However, Hurlbert was also on the receiving end of a breakaway going the other way when Harvard’s Richard Gallant blocked his shot on a closeout and finished it for the 4-2 goal. Hurlbert also served a high-sticking penalty (though it may not have actually been his own) in the closing minutes of an abridged third period. That was when Michigan State-bound defenseman Tommy Bleyl scored the tying goal with 37.1 seconds to play. Hurlbert can coast at times, and that showed up Friday when his team led.More: Red Wings top draft picks starting to jell in Team USA camp at LCA
All the skill in Hurlbert’s game makes him a major scoring threat for Team USA, but he could be more effective in the defensive zone, where his skill could be a major asset in the transition game that Nightingale’s teams rely on. For a July scrimmage, though, he showed lots to like.
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