Hurtig crossed the pond to the NCAA for the 2022-23 season and has played three seasons between Michigan State and Michigan Tech. It would be surprising to see Hurtig land an NHL role within the next few years, if ever, however he’ll likely get an opportunity to play in the professional ranks at the ECHL and AHL level in bottom pairing roles.

After a promising eight points in 11 games last year in the Swedish U20 league, Hurtig’s production at that same level this season has gone way down, with 16 points in 47 games despite figuring among the league’s oldest players. Most prospectwith decent upside are not playing junior hockey overseas at this age, and if they are, they’re playing major roles for their squad, but Hurtig remains outside the top-20 scorers on Mora IK, his latest junior team.

The New Jersey Devils drafted overage defenseman Hurtig with their 164th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-6 Swede earned three points in seven games in the country’s third division of men’s hockey, and eight points in 11 Swedish J20 games. He has good transitional tools, passing and activating out of trouble with ease, but was struggling to make good decisions at the men’s level, often creating odd-man rushes and turnovers. At 19 years of age, he has less room to grow than his first-year draft-eligible peers, but his puck skills and size could see him squeeze into the NHL at some point.