Two Red Wings on DHN All-Michigan NHL Squad

Elsewhere on this site today, you will see that Detroit Hockey Now has selected an all-time Detroit Red Wings team of Michigan-born players. As an adjunct to those selections, we’ve also gone out on a limb and chosen what we believe to be the All-Michigan team among today’s NHLers.

Surprisingly, two NHL teams combine to contribute two-thirds of this squad. And one of those teams is the Red Wings.

Goal: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets (Commerce)

All Hellebuyck did during the 2023-24 season was win his second Vezina Trophy and earn a First Team NHL All-Star nod for the second time in his career.

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

The Jets netminder also won the Jennings Trophy while posting a .921 save percentage and 37 wins. His career NHL save percentage is .917.

Defense: Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets (Grosse Pointe)

Werenski was 12th among NHL defenseman last season in points (57) and tied for 17th in goals (11). He’s hit for double-digits in goals in six of his eight NHL seasons. Werenski scored 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)

Subject of Red Wings trade rumors earlier this summer, the captain of the Rangers was 12th in the NHL among defensemen last season with 183 blocked shots. He averaged 7.49 blocked shots per 60 minutes of action. Trouba has dished out on average 205.33 hits per season over the last three campaigns. That includes a career-high 218 hits in 2022-23. Trouba won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2023-24.

Center: Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings (Waterford)

Larkin led the Red Wings with 33 goals last season. It was his third successive 30-goal campaign. He led the club in goals in each of those seasons and in points in two of the past three seasons.

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 has averaged 72.33 points per season over that span, including a career-best 79 points in 2022-23.

Left Wing: Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets (Shleby Township)

Connor led the Jets in 2023-24 with 34 goals, including 10 game winners. He’s scored at least 31 goals in five of the past six season. Connor potted a career-high 47 goals in 2021-22, a season in which he also won the Lady Byng Trophy.

Right Wing: Alex DeBrincat, Detroit Red Wings (Farmington Hills)

It’s a testament to DeBrincat’s scoring ability that he’s netted 27 goals in each of the past two seasons and they’ve been considered down seasons for him. Twice he’s netted 41 goals during a single campaign. He’s scored 36 power-play goals over the past three seasons. DeBrincat’s career shooting percentage is 15.5%.

Michigan-Born NHLers

The complete list of Michigan-born players who skated at least one game in the NHL during the 2023-24 season:

Dylan Larkin, C, Waterford (Detroit Red Wings); Alex DeBrincat, RW, Famington 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).