J.P. Hurlbert
Kamloops Blazers #2
Position: LW/C
Shoots: R
6-foot-0, 183 Pounds
When the Blazers selected JP Hurlbert 20th overall in the 2023 WHL U.S. Draft, they knew it was a long shot to get him to come play in the WHL, but when the NCAA eligibility rules changed, that door opened for him. After finishing third on the USNTDP under-17 team in scoring in the 2024-25 season, many believed that Hurlbert would be a big piece of the under-18 team this season, and once again finish as one of their top scorers. After long discussions with his family, Hurlbert ultimately made the decision to take his talents north of the border to the Kamloops Blazers.
The NCAA eligibility rule change allowed Hurlbert, a Michigan commit, to go play in the WHL while still maintaining the ability to go on and play in the NCAA after his junior career is over. What also played into the decision to join the WHL was that he and his family believed Kamloops was a great landing spot given the history of the organization and the trajectory that the team was heading on.
Although people knew about Hurlbert’s offensive ability prior to this season, not many believed that he would be leading the WHL in scoring at the halfway point of his draft year. Some may argue that the WHL has weakened slightly due to some top draft picks from past years moving to the NCAA earlier than originally expected, but regardless, having 61 points in the first 38 games of the year is very impressive and going to raise the eyebrows of NHL scouts.
One of the tools that makes Hurlbert so effective is his deception and elusiveness with the puck. He is able to create plays in many different ways and is a dual-threat player with being a great passer as well as a very dangerous shooter. His shot might not be the hardest, but he can change the angle of his release very effectively and is able to get shots off quickly in tight spaces. All of those attributes coupled with his accuracy make his shot a nightmare for opposing goalies. Hurlbert isn’t the fastest skater, but he is still able to get around defenders with his quick hands and reading the play to anticipate what a defenceman might do. He loves to have the puck on his stick and more times than not is able to create a good chance for himself or his teammates.
Skating
Hurlbert’s skating is not what is going to jump out at you when you watch him play. In terms of his offensive toolkit, his skating is the weakest of those attributes. Now with that being said, his skating is by no means bad, it just isn’t at the elite level that his other offensive abilities are at.
His edges are the strongest part of his skating, and they allow him to maneuver his way around the ice very effectively. He very often uses sharp turns with the puck to evade defenders and create space for himself and that has allowed him to create a lot of chances for himself and his teammates through the first half of the WHL season. From a technical standpoint his stride is fairly solid, he doesn’t have a very long stride and because of that he needs to bring his feet back underneath him faster so that he can stride again if he wants to travel the same distance as someone who has a longer, more powerful stride.
Where his skating falls behind a little is in the straight-line speed and explosiveness. He doesn’t have the speed to burn defenders wide very often and has to use other ways to beat defenders one on one because of that. If he could add that extra level of explosiveness and make defenders respect that he might try to beat them wide, it would really open up even more opportunity for him to use his other abilities to create a chance. He doesn’t always have to use that speed but if he could make defenders worry about that option, everything else becomes easier.
In terms of projection to the NHL, I believe his skating can become right around league average and shouldn’t hold him back from being able to make an impact. He is very effective at slowing the play down and making others play at his pace and that is one of the tools that he will have to continue to develop if he isn’t able to add that extra gear.
- This is one of the times when you think that if Hurlbert had that extra bit of explosiveness, he may be able to get to that puck quicker and either create a chance for himself or pass it ahead to his teammate for a chance.
- The first turn after intercepting the pass is what stands out in the clip for me. Hurlbert is able to stop his momentum and turn on a dime all while maintaining balance so he is able to quickly get a shot on net.
- Here you can see a good example of the strength and weakness to Hurlbert’s skating. He doesn’t have the straight-line speed to separate from the defender but he is able to use his edgework to keep possession while waiting for his teammates.
- I wanted to include this clip to show that Hurlbert does have some level of speed to his game. He is able to separate from the defenders to create a clear 2-on-1 that results in a
GRADE: 50
Shot
When it comes to shooting, Hurlbert has a very dynamic shot that he’s able to get off in many different situations. He doesn’t have a very heavy shot, but it’s his release that really sets his shot apart from the rest. His high-level IQ has also helped him score by finding the right lanes and placing shots perfectly through traffic to either score a goal or at least create a chance.
With the scoring ability of players like Auston Matthews and Connor Bedard, many young players have worked on developing that patented “toe-drag release” that those players have, and Hurlbert has that as well. He doesn’t change the angle quite as much as Bedard does, but he still does it very effectively by changing it just enough before releasing the puck to open up a whole new section of the net that isn’t covered.
The last point of Hurlbert’s shooting that I wanted to touch on is his ability to get a good quality shot off from a variety of different body positions. You rarely get the perfect pass with enough time to release it exactly how you want to, so having the ability to change your body position to adjust to the play and still get a shot off is incredibly important, especially at higher levels. That is one thing that Hurlbert does well, he can shoot off both feet, in stride or stationary as well as controlling the puck or one-timing it, whatever the situation calls for.
If Hurlbert can add a little more power to his shot I believe he can continue to be a very effective scorer and shooting threat at the NHL level. Even without more power he will be able to find a way to get scoring chances.
- Hurlbert is able to catch a pass and get the shot off without having to change body position at all, thereby not giving the goalie as much time to adjust to the shot.
- Despite not having the hardest shot in the league, Hurlbert is still able to score from the top of the circles by using his high level accuracy and taking advantage of the screens in front of the net.
- What I like about this clip is the pass he receives is slightly to close to his feet but he is able to bump it forward into a position where he is still able to get a shot off quickly and surprise the goalie.
- Before receiving the pass, Hurlbert recognizes that he has space and immediately upon receiving the puck takes a couple quick strides towards the net and is able to release the puck in stride to disguise when the shot is coming.
GRADE: 57.5
Skills
Hurlbert skill with the puck is one of the elements of his game that most jumps out to you when watching him play. In all sorts of different situations, he is able to fake out defenders and create space and chances with the puck.
He may not have the quickest hands like a player like Patrick Kane or Mat Barzal, but what Hurlbert does so well is he uses fakes to get defenders to bite which creates space for him in behind. He is constantly scanning the play and evaluating what he can do to get around players, and he always knows where the empty space is. Whether it’s faking a shot and making a cross-ice pass or a fake drive to the outside before cutting to the middle, the body and puck fakes are what allows him to be so effective.
His passing is one of his skills that is very elite at the junior level. He is able to find lanes all over the ice and create chances for his teammates. Even when a lane isn’t there, he can use his puck skill to open up that lane and send an accurate pass over to his teammate. He is also always aware of where his teammates are on the ice and that helps make quick decisions with the puck when he is closed on by a defender.
The number of times he is able to beat players one-on-one despite not being the quickest skater is a true testament to his skill and ability with the puck. He has such a big toolkit with the puck that he can make a different move for almost any situation he will find himself in on the ice. At the NHL level, I believe he will still be very effective with his puck skill, but he will need to add some strength for when bigger defencemen are trying to get him off the puck. Playing against junior players he can get around without too much resistance but at the pro level he will need to adjust.
- This is a great showing of the puck skill that Hurlbert has. He pulls the puck into his feet and gets around the defender before reaching the puck back across the goalie for a beautiful goal.
- Upon receiving the puck, Hurlbert immediately attacks making everyone think he is about to shoot before faking the shot and sending a beautiful pass across the ice to his teammate.
- Hurlbert certainly doesn’t lack confidence with the puck as he makes a great move around the defender right at the blueline as the last man back, but to his credit it ultimately ends up in a shot on net from him.
Here Hurlbert shows his skill by putting the puck right through the triangle of the defender to get to the middle of the ice and then slides a pass through the other defender to his teammate streaking down the wing, resulting in a goal.
GRADE: 57.5
Smarts
In my opinion the part of Hurlbert's game that stands out the most is his intelligence, his “hockey IQ”. To me, that is what plays a large part in his other skills being so effective. He reads the game at such a quick speed which has allowed him to be one step ahead of everyone else on the ice. He has that special ability to see plays before they develop and that creates so many chances not only for himself, but his teammates as well.
Another true sign of his intelligence is his ability to slow the game down and make others play at his speed. When he doesn’t let play dictate how he is going to operate, rather he makes others adjust to him which allows him to play at his strengths.That is why his intelligence is what leads to so many areas of his game being effective.
Some players can make it to the next level and get by just by having a standout few skills like blazing speed, but Hurlbert despite being good at many things, doesn’t necessarily project to be a top 5-10 player at any one skill. That is why his intelligence is such a key aspect to his game. It has allowed him to come into a new league as a 17-year-old and lead the league in scoring for large parts of the season. It is why his draft projection has steadily increased as the year has gone on. His intelligence is what is going to allow him to find the role he needs to play at the next level to be an important part of his team.
- In this clip I like the awareness of Hurlbert when he gets the pass in front of the net, he doesn't just immediately force a shot and hope for the best, he gains possession and slides the puck backdoor for an easy goal for his teammate.
- A subtle clip here, but what I like is when the puck is rimed around the boards, he sees he has two defenders pressuring him which would make making a play very difficult so he lets the puck come around and lifts the stick of the defender, easily allowing the puck to continue up to his defenceman resulting in a scoring chance.
- When Hurlbert realizes his team has possession he flies the zone making the opposing team retreat allowing his teammate to make a stretch pass to Hurlbert. He receives the puck without many options available so he holds possession and throws it to the far corner where his streaking teammate is able to skate into it and start some offensive pressure for his team. A great show of intelligence by Hurlbert.
- After supporting the play down low in his own zone, he is able to start the play up ice very quickly and follow up into the perfect position where he can get a shot off and score.
- Here Hurlbert makes a nice interception in the neutral zone that creates a chance for his team and ultimately results in Hurlbert scoring a goal.
GRADE: 60
Physicality and Compete
The physical side of Hurlbert’s game is without question the weakest part. He is certainly not the biggest player, listed at six feet tall and just over 180 pounds, but even for a player of his size you still want to see a little more intensity from him at times.
Although he is truest as a penalty killer for the blazers, he needs to have more commitment to the defensive side of the game especially at five-on-five where he can struggle at times. He has a tendency to fly the zone as soon as he believes his team is gaining possession of the puck, and although that has worked for him at times and created opportunities, it has also hindered his team as well and given the other team quality scoring chances.
He’s primarily played on the wing this season, but he has also taken some shifts at centre and I would like to see him give more support and battle more for pucks in the corner, specifically in the defensive zone. As for when he plays as a winger, when the puck is on the weak side, he should be dropping deeper to help cover the slot and take away those grade A chances that can come in those areas.
I don’t believe compete will ever be his main strength, but I do believe he will need to add more of that to his game at the next level to fit in, and if he is able to do that, it will give him even more value to which team drafts him.
- Hurlbert is able to draw 2 penalties on this play as he keeps his feet moving to draw a holding penalty in the corner before drawing a high sticking penalty in front of the net as he was battling for a rebound.
- This is something that I would like to see Hurlbert do more often but here he pressures the defenceman extremely hard which results in a turnover and possession for the Blazers.
- This is one of the main issues I see in Hurlbert’s defensive game. He does a total fly-by in the defensive zone and takes far too long to get back into the play as the opposing team gets a scoring chance.
- I wanted to include this clip to show that he can pressure well and stays in the hunt as they move the puck around. If he could do this more often, it would add a very valuable element to his game.
GRADE: 45
OFP: 54.25
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.