RG.org’s Marco D’Amico profiles Red Wings prospect and incoming University of Michigan freshman JP Hurlbert today, noting that the Allen, Texas native grew up as a big Red Wings fan. This fall, he’ll be playing in Detroit’s backyard:
There is still a considerable gap between being a Red Wings draft pick and becoming a Red Wing, and what Hurlbert does at Michigan will help determine how quickly he can close it.
For now, the setup is hard to miss.
His first hockey jersey was a Red Wings jersey. His dad raised him watching Detroit in Texas. One of the players he looked up to in the greater Dallas region was drafted by the same organization. Now Hurlbert’s own name is hanging on the wall back home, and he is about to play at the school represented by another jersey his family already had in the house.
Detroit will be just down the road.
“I realize that it’s not very common to go to school 30 minutes from your NHL team,” Hurlbert said. “For it to be both teams that I absolutely love and would do anything for to help win, you just want to give it everything you have. At the same time, you almost feel like a fan, but you’re on the ice playing.”
That last part might explain Hurlbert’s summer better than anything else.
Now he heads to Michigan with a chance to chase one championship while developing toward another, all within a short drive of the NHL team he once watched from Texas.
Continued; this is a very good read.
