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Detroit — When winger J.P. Hurlbert continued to be available in the first round of Friday's NHL Entry Draft, the Red Wings were intrigued.
But the Wings didn't have a first-round pick, having dealt it to St. Louis in March for defenseman Justin Faulk at the trade deadline.
So when the opportunity to get into Friday's first-round materialized, the Wings jumped at it.
They moved goaltender Sebastian Cossa, himself a 2021 first-round pick (15th overall) to Utah, for the Mammoth's first-round selection, 23rd overall, and drafted the University of Michigan-bound Hurlbert.
Kris Draper, the Wings' director of amateur scouting/assistant general manager, was excited about adding Hurlbert.
"His offensive abilities," Draper said on a conference late Friday night, on what appealed most about Hurlbert. "He's basically been the youngest player, youngest prospect, and he has scored wherever he's gone, so that's something that we liked. He has good size, a solid build, and he shows real good offensive instincts. He knows how to score goals and make plays.
More: Red Wings trade goalie Cossa; draft Michigan winger Hurlbert
More: Sebastian Cossa, traded to Utah, never earned trust of Wings' management
"When we're sitting there and we had an opportunity to get into the first round, we thought it was a real good player to add to our prospect pool."
Hurlbert scored 42 goals playing for Kamloops, most of any rookie in the WHL.
"He put up some real big numbers," Draper said. "He was leading the WHL in scoring most of the year and ended up being one of the top scorers. We think it's a real good fit for what we're looking for, a prospect that has a knack around the net and score goals in different ways.
"He has creativity with the puck when it's on his stick."
Draper feels going to Michigan will help Hurlbert develop as a player.
"He has an opportunity to play in a real good program that certainly stresses offense and that'll continue to help him," Draper said.
But losing Cossa in the trade was a disappointment for the Wings, who hoped Cossa could develop into an NHL starter.
"He was a great prospect for us," Draper said. "Sebastian continued to grow and he did get better. He came to the rink and was a pro. He definitely grew up over the last couple of years playing in Grand Rapids. It just ended up, it was something that didn't quite work out for us.
"When you select someone, you want to put him in the best situation and hoping he would become a Detroit Red Wing. But it's professional sports and sometimes those things don't work out in the end. That's how it ended up happening for us."
The Wings will have seven picks Saturday in rounds two through seven, one in each round and two in the seventh round. They'll look for the best player available, said Draper.
"One thing that everyone knows about tonight and tomorrow is how unpredictable a draft can be," Draper said. "We just kind of sit down and from the start of the season to the end, you put names on a list and from there you just keep going."
[email protected]
@tkulfan
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wings' Draper: Cossa 'didn't work out'; Hurlbert adds creativity
Continue reading...
But the Wings didn't have a first-round pick, having dealt it to St. Louis in March for defenseman Justin Faulk at the trade deadline.
So when the opportunity to get into Friday's first-round materialized, the Wings jumped at it.
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They moved goaltender Sebastian Cossa, himself a 2021 first-round pick (15th overall) to Utah, for the Mammoth's first-round selection, 23rd overall, and drafted the University of Michigan-bound Hurlbert.
Kris Draper, the Wings' director of amateur scouting/assistant general manager, was excited about adding Hurlbert.
"His offensive abilities," Draper said on a conference late Friday night, on what appealed most about Hurlbert. "He's basically been the youngest player, youngest prospect, and he has scored wherever he's gone, so that's something that we liked. He has good size, a solid build, and he shows real good offensive instincts. He knows how to score goals and make plays.
More: Red Wings trade goalie Cossa; draft Michigan winger Hurlbert
More: Sebastian Cossa, traded to Utah, never earned trust of Wings' management
"When we're sitting there and we had an opportunity to get into the first round, we thought it was a real good player to add to our prospect pool."
Hurlbert scored 42 goals playing for Kamloops, most of any rookie in the WHL.
"He put up some real big numbers," Draper said. "He was leading the WHL in scoring most of the year and ended up being one of the top scorers. We think it's a real good fit for what we're looking for, a prospect that has a knack around the net and score goals in different ways.
"He has creativity with the puck when it's on his stick."
Draper feels going to Michigan will help Hurlbert develop as a player.
"He has an opportunity to play in a real good program that certainly stresses offense and that'll continue to help him," Draper said.
But losing Cossa in the trade was a disappointment for the Wings, who hoped Cossa could develop into an NHL starter.
"He was a great prospect for us," Draper said. "Sebastian continued to grow and he did get better. He came to the rink and was a pro. He definitely grew up over the last couple of years playing in Grand Rapids. It just ended up, it was something that didn't quite work out for us.
"When you select someone, you want to put him in the best situation and hoping he would become a Detroit Red Wing. But it's professional sports and sometimes those things don't work out in the end. That's how it ended up happening for us."
The Wings will have seven picks Saturday in rounds two through seven, one in each round and two in the seventh round. They'll look for the best player available, said Draper.
"One thing that everyone knows about tonight and tomorrow is how unpredictable a draft can be," Draper said. "We just kind of sit down and from the start of the season to the end, you put names on a list and from there you just keep going."
[email protected]
@tkulfan
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wings' Draper: Cossa 'didn't work out'; Hurlbert adds creativity
Continue reading...
