Jets’ Copp pumped for hometown date with Red Wings

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This article was published 10/03/2016 (3494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s on the schedule as a road game, but when the puck drops between the Winnipeg Jets and Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena tonight (6:30 p.m., TSN3, TSN1290), it will be a homecoming of sorts for youngsters Andrew Copp and Jacob Trouba.

Copp and Trouba both grew up and honed their hockey skills in the Michigan area, with each playing for the University of Michigan men’s hockey team before landing in the NHL.

Trouba, whom the Jets selected in the first round of the 2012 NHL draft, played one season for the Wolverines before signing with the Jets. Copp, a fourth-round pick a year later, played three years of college before signing a contract at the end of last season, making tonight his official return home to play in the same arena he grew up watching his hometown idols.

“Yeah it’s going to be fun,” Copp, who grew up near Ann Arbor, told reporters in Detroit following the morning skate. “A lot of family and friends are coming out for it. I mean I’m pretty familiar with the building but obviously my first pro game so really looking forward to it.”

As for Trouba, the appeal has somewhat worn off over the years, but he said it’s always good to come home.

“It’s nice just to see some family and friends but I’m trying not to treat it too differently than any other road trip,” the Rochester, Mich., native told reporters in Detroit. “Just come in and do what we got to do and head on out.”

The Jets (27-34-5) enter tonight 15 points back of the Colorado Avalanche for the final playoff spot, with just 16 games left on the schedule. Winnipeg has lost nine of the last 11 games — and has yet to put a winning streak together of more than two games this year. The Jets’ 59 points are tied for second-worst in the NHL with Edmonton, just four points ahead of the NHL’s worst Toronto Maple Leafs at 55.

As for the Red Wings, they’re clinging to the final wild card spot in the East, just two points up on the Philadelphia Flyers, who have one game in hand. They have made the playoffs in 24 straight seasons.

“I think they’re probably a little snarly here tonight,” said Jets coach Paul Maurice. “(They’ve) played some good hockey, beat some good teams and things haven’t gone the way they wanted to the last three… so you know they’re coming tonight and they know they have to win this on their calendar, this is a must-win game for them.”

Jets projected lineup:

Forwards –

Drew Stafford-Mark Scheifele-Blake Wheeler

Mathieu Perreault-Alexander Burmistrov-Marko Dano

Chris Thorburn-Adam Lowry-Scott Kosmachuk

J.C. Lipon-Andrew Copp-Matt Halischuk

Defence –

Toby Enstrom-Dustin Byfuglien

Jacob Trouba-Tyler Myers

Ben Chiarot-Paul Postma

Goalies –

Michael Hutchinson

Ondrej Pavelec

Red Wings projected lineup:

Forwards –

Justin Abdelkader-Henrik Zetterberg-Dylan Larkin

Tomas Tatar-Pavel Datsyuk-Andreas Athanasiou

Gustav Nyquist-Riley Sheahan-Teemu Pulkkinen

Darren Helm-Luke Glendening-Brad Richards

Defence –

Niklas Kronwall-Mike Green

Dan DeKeyser-Kyle Quincey

Brendan Smith-Jonathan Ericsson

Goalies –

Petr Mrazek

Jimmy Howard