Michigan products Copp, Trouba ready to take on Red Wings

 

By @MichaelCaples –

DETROIT – One has been through this before, and says that he’s not trying to make a big deal out of it.

The other, well, it’s his first time back at The Joe since becoming a pro hockey player.

Jacob Trouba and Andrew Copp will be taking on the Red Wings tonight in Detroit, as the two Michigan natives return home for a game with their Winnipeg Jets.

Trouba, 22, is in the midst of his third NHL season after turning pro at the conclusion of his freshman season with the Michigan Wolverines in 2013. The Rochester native said that for him, it’s just another game. Trouba has competed against his hometown team three times, the last of which featured a two-goal outing on Dec. 29.

“It’s nice just to see some family and some friends,” Trouba said, “but I’m trying not to treat it too differently than any other road trip, just come in and do what we gotta do and head on out.”

His longtime teammate Andrew Copp, however, will get his first taste of NHL hockey at The Joe as a player, not a fan, when the puck drops tonight. The 21-year-old Ann Arbor native said he is excited to play close to home tonight.

“It’s going be fun, a lot of family and friends are coming out for it,” Copp said. “I’m pretty familiar with the building, but obviously first pro game so really looking forward to it.”

The Joe provided memories for both players, of course; most hockey players growing up in Michigan have the opportunity to skate on the Hockeytown ice at some point during their youth careers.

“I remember playing here,” Trouba said. “We played for a state championship here when we were real young, 12 or 13, but that’s probably first memory.

“It was just cool, I remember my brother did a shootout in intermission here, too, when he was younger and he fell on the blue line so that’s a pretty good memory to have. We’ve got video of that, too.”

The game also serves as a reunion of sorts, as Copp gets another chance to play against former Michigan teammate Dylan Larkin.

“Really excited to play against him, this is our second time,” Copp said. “Had a lot of fun in Winnipeg so I’m not sure how much we’ll be on the ice together tonight, maybe some power play, penalty kill time, but I’ll try and get in his face a little bit and just mess around with him, but really excited to go at it with him.”

Larkin said he’s excited for Copp to get a chance to skate at Joe Louis Arena in an NHL contest instead of a youth or college game.

“I’m excited for him to get the chance to play in his first game in Detroit,” Larkin said. “I hope he plays well, but I hope we get the win. It was good to see him this morning.”

While they were teammates on Compuware AAA teams, USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program and the University of Michigan, Copp and Trouba’s career paths changed slightly when Trouba left for the pros after his freshman season. Now, he’s the NHL veteran of the two, and he’s been a help to Copp as he adjusts to NHL hockey.

“Don’t give him too much credit; I think I’ve helped him out more than he’s helped me out,” Copp said with a laugh. “No, he’s been good, just the familiarity and comfort has been huge. I’ve been living with him, too, having a familiar face that you can get away from hockey with, so it’s been huge living with him and just having him be a part of this whole process.”

Trouba echoed similar sentiments about his longtime friend and teammate.

“He’s good, I think he’s fitting in nicely,” Trouba said. “I live with him, so I see him all the time, I’m always around him, have to listen to him, but he’s fitting in nicely. He’ll enjoy it tonight.”