Over the spring/summer series of events, I've become a big fan of JP's game, and his play at the Player Development Camp further cemented my high praise of what he offers. Thus far, among my views of the '08 class, Hurlbert has been the best puck manager. Whenever he touches the puck, his head is up, scanning for options, and he will always find a path to a controlled exit, entry, or dangerous chance. There were some moments of flash and high skill shown over the PDC, but it's more so the methodical nature of his puck touches that are the standout element to me. He always cradles the puck in a safe place out of reach from defenders, and when challenged with a stick check, he can swiftly navigate around the defender's stick in a practical and projectable manner and rarely is he dispossessed. His dominance as a puck manager enables him to thrive in transition, driving play consistently through the neutral zone and into the offensive third shift after shift. Once in the offensive zone, he displayed great vision and awareness to spot open teammates and create plenty of scoring chances, adding tremendous value as a playmaker.

One of just two players to feature as a standout player for me in all three days, JP Hurlbert was a consistent and effective player for Team Black in nearly every shift he was on the ice. His skill on the puck was clear early on and he was not afraid to incorporate some nice moves into his game. He excelled at creating chances, for himself or his teammates, and did so by drawing in the nearest defender and either taking him on and getting past him or laying the puck off to someone in a better position. He is capable of attacking with pace but equally adept at playing the waiting game and being poised on the puck awaiting for that one opening to exploit in the defense. His edgework enabled him to change his angles and field of vision well and he utilized that well to distribute the puck more effectively. He loved finding himself on the puck and he was able to consistently make things happen when it was on his stick.

The offensive side of Hurlbert’s game is not something I have questioned very much of, and the puck continues to find its way to his stick blade and when that happens points follow. He comes into possession of the puck in open ice and he immediately looks to turn it into a shooting chance for himself, using some nice skill or size to work his way past his man and get into a dangerous scoring position. He spins off of pressure nicely and is able to create extra space to operate within and take an aggressive stride inside and look to drive to the net. He followed up play well and was able to earn himself a rebound goal by coming in late and cleaning up the play. He unselfishly dished the puck off late on a 2 on 1 launched by a defensive turnover and he could have taken the shot if he had wanted to, but he opted for the surefire goal at the back post. He did have a careless giveaway at the point that led to a breakaway goal late in the game, but it did not have an impact on the outcome of the game.

I was very impressed with Hurlbert’s game today as his performance was uninhibited by the opposition’s dominance. He created chances with great vision and quick hands as he held up play using his size, refusing to cough up the puck and battling well. He showed some nice creativity in tight and was able to wriggle out of pressure situations along the boards and found himself extra time on the puck to create offense. He worked his way into good shooting areas with nice bits of skill, and his shot impressed as usual with his accuracy and power, but his goal came off a great redirect as he rushed hard to the net and got inside positioning on his defender. He was able to make his impact on this game and generate scoring opportunities for his team against the run of play.

Of the four major standout forwards in this game, JP was just a smidge more impressive than them. I just adored his tactical approach to all of his puck touches. He was so evasive, but yet it was never a flashy dangle or move to fake a defender. It was by calculated and methodical puck touches to keep the puck out of reach from defenders and maneuvered his way around the ice uncontested. It seems like a simple write-up, but that ability is so unique to see at this age. It's typical to see players this young beat their opponents through sheer physical advantages, and seeing this tactical approach to driving results is undoubtedly rare. Almost every shift, Hurlbert would enter the zone with control, maneuver around a defender trying to close him down, and then move a puck to a teammate in the middle of the ice. I've written this previously about JP, but it reminds me a lot of what I came to appreciate in 07 US NTDP commit Will Moore's game as the season went on. Neither are the flashiest players, but they are incredibly tactical and always make the right decision when they have the puck.

Admittedly, it took me a while to warm up to Hurlbert, but once I watched more, the picture got much more apparent. My initial impression is he reminded me a lot of top American 2007, Will Moore. Nothing super flashy, but all of his puck touches are calculated and tactical to advance the puck into the dangerous parts of the ice. JP was incredibly evasive, being near undefendable in small areas, always able to skirt or dodge a defender and access the lane he wanted to attack. In the offensive zone, he managed the puck well, always protecting the puck from the opposition until he could spot an open passing lane. On a team full of studs, being the player who stands out above the rest as the team's focal point is an impressive performance.

JP Hurlbert could not let this game pass him by without getting his name on the scoresheet with his tally in the dying embers of this game. To be fair, he deserved that goal. He was great once again in this game, using his speed and passing to create chances for himself and teammates all throughout the game despite the large hole his team found themselves in. He is able to conjure chances out of almost thin air, and with regularity too, he really was one of the best players in this game that his team was heavily outscored in. His goal came off of a nice rush at the end that saw him receive a feed in the slot and he quickly gathered the puck and let it fly up and over the blocker of the goaltender. His skating is one of his best weapons and that was something that he used to his advantage this game, getting into open spaces and picking his head up to pinpoint the best point of attack.

For the second consecutive day JP Hurlbert was a standout performer for his team, despite them coming up short in the end. The top line was doing great work from the get go as he and Blake Zielinski showed some nice link up play, he was able to send Blake in on a partial breakaway with a great feed which he then converted on to give them the lead. He nearly succeeded in his “Michigan” attempt in the second half, just further underlining the skill and confidence he was playing with. He is a clever player with serious skill and he was able to display that with a goal of his own where he was sent in 1 on 1 in tight with the goalie and was able to deke him out of position and tuck it into the gaping net. Hurlbert is the straw that stirs the drink for this team and this was another game in which he demonstrated why.

Team Black was clinical in their first game and capitalized on many of their chances, that said, I did not think they were the better team. JP Hurlbert, however, looked great for his team in this contest and showed that he is incredibly talented and comes with a big bag of tricks that he is not shy to utilize. He was the focal point of the offense for large stretches of the game and excelled in chance creation for his team. He did well to lure defenders into his space just to quickly dance by them and access the space that was left in behind them. He showed some great patience with the puck and edgework that he used to create better angles for himself in tight and enable him to get better shooting and passing looks.

As mentioned prior, JP Hurlbert scored the third goal of the game to tie it at 3’s for the Stars. On his goal Fiddler did the bulk of the work, but Hurlbert’s ability to get open and corral the puck carefully before firing it home is something that shouldn’t go unnoticed, as at times with such young players they tend to mishandle passes and fumble prime scoring opportunities. Later in the game he showed off a dynamic skillset by stringing together consecutive dekes with speed, going through 2 defenders as he went down the left wing, he still managed to get a shot off on net despite being hooked, if not for the hooking infraction Hurlbert very well could’ve scored on that play.