The Detroit Red Wings turned a crowded goalie pipeline into fresh scoring help on draft night, sending goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth and using the No. 23 pick they received to grab Kamloops winger J.P. Hurlbert. In one move, Detroit thinned out its crease logjam and added a high-scoring, pro-ready forward to its system.
Draft-night maneuvering
Detroit moved Cossa to Utah straight up for the 23rd overall selection, then immediately used that pick to re-enter the first round and select Hurlbert. The deal landed in the middle of a flurry of late first-round action as contenders moved picks around and tried to squeeze extra value out of the board.
Daily Faceoff detailed how those late-first trades reshaped team boards and opened a lane for Detroit to jump back into the round for a forward it liked, while The Boston Globe tracked the pick as it bounced between teams before landing with the Wings.
Who is J.P. Hurlbert?
Hurlbert is a 6-foot left wing who erupted for 42 goals and 97 points in 68 games with the Kamloops Blazers this season, earning WHL rookie of the year honors and putting a big red circle around his scoring touch. He showed clear finishing ability at the junior level, which is exactly the profile Detroit has been hunting.
Scouting reports highlight his one-touch release on the power play and a knack for slipping into dangerous scoring areas, traits that make him a logical first-round swing for a front office intent on adding goals. NHL.com outlines his breakout WHL campaign, while a University of Michigan preview on MGoBlue underscores his potential as a high-volume shot creator and notes he is an NCAA option for further development.
What Cossa leaves behind
Cossa was not an insignificant piece to move. Detroit drafted him 15th overall in 2021, and this past season he posted a 26-8-4 record, 2.33 goals-against average and .915 save percentage for the Grand Rapids Griffins, earning AHL All-Star recognition in the process. Earlier in his development, NHL Central Scouting rated him among the top North American goalie prospects, which helps explain his pull on the trade market.
His recent AHL stat line is laid out in reporting from MLive, while The Boston Globe has previously highlighted his first-round pedigree and standing among goalie prospects.
Why the Wings pulled the trigger
The context in net matters here. Detroit heads into the 2026-27 season with veterans John Gibson and Cam Talbot under contract at the NHL level, while younger goalies Michal Postava and Trey Augustine sit in the pipeline. That depth made it easier to consider moving Cossa rather than trying to squeeze everyone into limited crease time.
CBS Sports notes recent NHL backup appearances by Postava, reinforcing the idea that Detroit has multiple routes in goal, and ProHockeyRumors has consistently listed Cossa among the organization’s top goalie assets, which helps explain why Utah was willing to pay first-round capital for him.
By flipping a prized goaltending piece into a first-round slot, the Red Wings are effectively betting that Hurlbert’s scoring upside is more valuable to their long-term build than holding on to another high-end goalie prospect. It is a classic roster-balance play for a team trying to walk the line between short-term stability and long-term ceiling.
What comes next
Detroit will keep a close eye on Hurlbert as he moves along his development path, whether that is in junior, college, or eventually the pro ranks. Utah, meanwhile, will look to drop Cossa straight into its goaltending mix with an expectation that he gets a real opportunity to seize a job.
The trade is the kind of draft-night calculation teams love to argue about: turn depth at one position into a shot at a difference-maker somewhere else. Early draft reactions from outlets such as The Hockey Writers show a mix of optimism about Hurlbert’s upside and skepticism about parting with a promising young goalie, which is about as on-brand as it gets for a bold move in late June.
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