The young man who has kept the Kamloops Blazers’ streak alive at this weekend’s NHL Draft did so with a lot of high praise for the city and his time in the Blazers organization.

JP Hurlbert would be taken by the Detroit Red Wings on Friday in the first round of the Draft — #23 overall.

That makes it 15 straight seasons that a Blazer has been selected in the NHL Entry Draft — the longest streak going in the WHL at the moment.

For Hurlbert, while the 23rd position was in-line with where most Draft observers had placed him before the names started being announced in Buffalo, what was not anticipated by many was that Detroit would pay to secure his rights.

The Red Wings did not have a first round selection heading into this weekend’s draft, after giving it up in the trade deadline deal which moved Justin Faulk to Detroit from St. Louis.

But rather than sitting on their hands, the Red Wings management seemingly had a keen interest in securing Hurlbert’s rights, and would pay for them by saying goodbye to one of their former first-round selections, trading goaltender Sebastian Cossa to Utah for their first round selection this year.

While not pulling back the curtain overly wide for a peek behind the scenes, the head of scouting for the Red Wings, Assistant GM Kris Draper, did suggest — in speaking with the media after-the-fact — that the Red Wings saw Hurlburt as an up-front goal-scoring talent their GM identified a need for at their end-of-season news conference.

“Stevey [Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman] was on the phones, workin’ the phones, and we’re just kind of sitting there waiting,” said Draper, when asked about how quickly a deal came together with Utah to make Hurlburt’s selection possible.  “So, we had a little conversation… Obviously Stevey came in and told us the opportunity was there, and ended up making the trade to put ourselves in the first round.”

Speaking with the media after his selection, the 18-year old Hurlbert was asked about his decision to leave the USA Hockey Development program and try his hand at the Western Hockey League with the Blazers this past season.

“I always wanted to go to college, and the rule change obviously helping… My dream is to play in the NHL,” said Hurlburt.  “I think it gave me the best opportunity to do that.”

The rule change Hurlburt spoke of is the decision by the NCAA last year to stop identifying the CHL and the member-leagues as ‘professional,’ as WHL, OHL and QMJHL teams will accept NHL-signed players back on their rosters to allow them to develop more in Junior before making the full transition to pro-hockey.

While that NCAA rule was intended to stop US colleges from throwing money at high-talent prospects and keeping college athletics a level playing field for smaller schools, it’s interpretation by NCAA Directors for years — aided by lobbying from USA Hockey —  would make any player who suited up for a CHL team ineligible for scholarships.

After years of criticism by many high-profile former student athletes, many of whom would leave their respective college teams without gaining their degree to turn pro in whatever sport they competed in, the NCAA would ultimately loosen its rules around recruitment for all college sports in the summer of 2025.

While seemingly tipped right now in favor of US colleges being able to snap up Canadian talent, the rule change does allow for a two-way flow for American players like Hurlbert to test themselves against some of the best hockey prospects in the world, which does include a more NHL-like playing schedule than they would find in the NCAA system.

But it’s also that same two way flow that’s going to all but ensure that Hurlbert will not be back in a Blazers uniform next season.

The 18-year old has already informed the Blazers that he will be honoring an earlier commitment to join the University of Michigan hockey program next season.

It’s Hurlbert’s commitment and broader ties to Michigan which did not go unnoticed by Kris Draper and his team going into the Draft.

“JP has, obviously, some real strong ties here in the State of Michigan,” noted Draper.  “Certainly going into Michigan [State University] in the Fall was something that we knew about him.”

While he will be leaving Kamloops behind, Hurlbert’s transition into the Red Wings’ organization from the Blazers should be smooth enough, given the seemingly growing links between the two.

One of the folks who likely had a large hand in convincing the Red Wings to trade up for Hurlbert is Blazers legend Greg Hawgood, who now works with the Red Wings as one of their amateur scouts.

Another guiding hand should be former Blazer captain Emmitt Finnie, who just completed his rookie year with the Red Wings in which he went ‘pillar to post,’ playing in all 82 games in the NHL this past season after making opening night his first-ever NHL game.

Hurlburt says Finnie’s rise from a 7th round pick — #203 overall — to being a consistent NHL starter in his first year in the league is something that was talked about a lot in the Blazers’ locker room this past season.

“To finally kind of be in a position like him [drafted by the Red Wings], and for him to go through what I went through, it’s so cool,” beamed Hurlburt.  “I’m really looking forward to hopefully meeting him and kind of getting to hear his perspective.”

And while there will be a ‘Blazer buffer’ for Hurlburt to lean on with Detroit, the city will be no mystery to the 18-year old as he enters Michigan State in the fall, as his father grew up in Michigan.

“I’ve, every summer, gone up [to Michigan] for at least two weeks, spend it with my grandparents,” noted Hurlburt when asked about his ties to the State.  “They have a lake house up there, so I know the city [Detroit] very well.”

While clearly excited about what his future holds in Detroit and in Michigan, Hurlburt would make a point on his draft night Friday of praising his time in Kamloops, which has come with some repercussions for him.

His move to walk away from the Team USA Hockey Development program and sign with the Blazers would create a schism between himself and the Team USA side — something which may take a bit of time to overcome.

Despite being one of the top scorers across the whole of the CHL at the time — Hurlbert would not even garner an invitation to try out for Team USA last year’s World Juniors, which were held over Christmas and New Year’s in Minnesota.

Despite this, Hurlburt suggests he has very few regrets about packing up the back of a vehicle and making the multi-day drive up from his home town in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas — his dad riding ‘shotgun’ — to play in Kamloops as a 17-year old rookie.

Hurlbert would set a Blazers franchise record for rookie scoring during the regular season with 97 points, including 42 goals over the 68 game schedule.

He was also recently bestowed with the WHL’s Rookie of the Year Award, while also being named to the WHL’s First-Team Conference All-Star team.

“I made the decision and I loved every second I was in Kamloops,” said Hurlburt.  “It’s such a special place.”

Hurlbert says his time in Kamloops and with the Blazers also helped him develop as a young man as well.

“I think for me, all areas of my game improved tremendously [in Kamloops],” Hurlbert told members of the media during his post-Draft Q&A session.  “For me, off-the-ice was a big growth year as well.”

Hurlbert suggests that by making the transition away from the relative safety and comforts of the USA Development program, it allowed him to grow and become a better person — and ultimately a better Draft option.

“Being kind of vulnerable, being a new kid in a new country, on a new team and not knowing anybody,” mused Hurlbert.  “Kind of being out there, being open, getting to learn people’s backgrounds, their names… spent a lot of time away from the rink.”

“That was a big growth year for me.”

–With files from Jon Keen