Elsewhere on this site today, Detroit Hockey Now has chosen an all-time Detroit Red Wings team composed of Michigan-born players. In addition to those selections, we’ve also taken a bold step in picking what we believe to be the All-Michigan team among current NHL players.
Interestingly, two NHL teams provide two-thirds of this lineup, with one of those teams being the Red Wings.
Goal: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets (Commerce)
Another Vezina for Hellebuyck, another chance to share this video of way back when in West Texas. #NHLAwards https://t.co/ndUOSMMksR pic.twitter.com/BgibNjqnwE
— Whitney Harding (@WhitneyNBC4) June 28, 2024
During the 2023-24 season, all Hellebuyck did was win his second Vezina Trophy and secure a spot on the First Team NHL All-Star for the second time in his career. The Jets goalie also claimed the Jennings Trophy, achieving a .921 save percentage and 37 wins. His career NHL save percentage stands at .917.
Defense: Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets (Grosse Pointe)
Werenski ranked 12th among NHL defensemen in points last season with 57 and tied for 17th in goals with 11. He has scored double-digit goals in six out of his eight NHL seasons, including a career-high 20 goals in 2019-20. He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2016-17.
Defense: Jacob Trouba, New York Rangers (Rochester)
Earlier this summer, the captain of the Rangers, who was the subject of Red Wings trade rumors, ranked 12th among NHL defensemen last season with 183 blocked shots. He averaged 7.49 blocked shots per 60 minutes of play. Over the past three seasons, Trouba has averaged 205.33 hits per season, including a career-high 218 hits in the 2022-23 season. Trouba also won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2023-24.
Center: Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings (Waterford)
It’s official.
Dylan Larkin has been named the 37th captain in Detroit Red Wings franchise history. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/l05lknUP6B
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 13, 2021
Larkin topped the Red Wings with 33 goals last season, marking his third consecutive year with at least 30 goals. He has been the team’s leading goal scorer in each of those years and led in points in two of the last three seasons. Over this period, Larkin has averaged 72.33 points per season, including a career-high 79 points during the 2022-23 season.
Left Wing: Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets (Shleby Township)
Connor topped the Jets’ scoring charts for the 2023-24 season with 34 goals, including 10 game-winning ones. He has reached at least 31 goals in five of the last six seasons. In the 2021-22 season, Connor achieved a career-best 47 goals and also won the Lady Byng Trophy.
Right Wing: Alex DeBrincat, Detroit Red Wings (Farmington Hills)
DeBrincat’s scoring prowess is evident in his achievement of 27 goals in each of the last two seasons, even though those are considered off years for him. He has twice reached 41 goals in a single season and has tallied 36 power-play goals over the past three seasons. His career shooting percentage stands at 15.5%.
Michigan-Born NHLers
Here’s a paraphrase of the list of Michigan-born NHL players who played at least one game during the 2023-24 season:
The full roster of Michigan natives who appeared in the NHL during the 2023-24 season includes:
– Dylan Larkin (C, Waterford) – Detroit Red Wings
– Alex DeBrincat (RW, Farmington Hills) – Detroit Red Wings
– Andrew Copp (C, Ann Arbor) – Detroit Red Wings
– Jeff Petry (D, Ann Arbor) – Detroit Red Wings
– Austin Czarnik (C, Detroit) – Detroit Red Wings
– William Lockwood (RW, Royal Oak) – Florida Panthers
– Patrick Brown (C, Bloomfield Hills) – Boston Bruins
– Luke Glendening (C, Grand Rapids) – Tampa Bay Lightning
– Tyler Motte (C, St. Clair) – Tampa Bay Lightning
– Austin Watson (LW, Ann Arbor) – Tampa Bay Lightning
– Declan Carlile (D, Hartland) – Tampa Bay Lightning
– Josh Norris (C, Oxford) – Ottawa Senators
– Lane Hutson (D, Holland) – Montreal Canadiens
– Cayden Primeau (G, Farmington Hills) – Montreal Canadiens
– Kyle Connor (LW, Shelby Township) – Winnipeg Jets
– Connor Hellebuyck (G, Commerce) – Winnipeg Jets
– Jason Polin (RW, Holt) – Colorado Avalanche
– Michael McCarron (RW, Grosse Pointe) – Nashville Predators
– Torey Krug (D, Livonia) – St. Louis Blues
– Mackenzie MacEachern (LW, Bloomfield Hills) – St. Louis Blues
– Frank Nazar (C, Detroit) – Chicago Blackhawks
– Jacob Trouba (D, Rochester) – New York Rangers
– Jalen Chatfield (D, Ypsilanti) – Carolina Hurricanes
– Bryan Rust (RW, Pontiac) – Pittsburgh Penguins
– Jonathan Gruden (C, Rochester Hills) – Pittsburgh Penguins
– Ronnie Attard (D, White Lake) – Philadelphia Flyers
– Zach Werenski (D, Grosse Pointe) – Columbus Blue Jackets
– Nick Blankenburg (D, Washington) – Columbus Blue Jackets
– Dakota Joshua (C, Dearborn) – Vancouver Canucks
– Ian Cole (D, Ann Arbor) – Vancouver Canucks
– Jack Campbell (G, Port Huron) – Edmonton Oilers
– Matt Roy (D, Detroit) – Los Angeles Kings
– Paul Cotter (C, Canton) – Vegas Golden Knights
– Alec Martinez (D, Rochester Hills) – Vegas Golden Knights
– Jordan Oesterle (D, Dearborn Heights) – Calgary Flames
– Max Jones (LW, Rochester) – Anaheim Ducks
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