{"id":3767,"date":"2025-11-21T21:49:04","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T21:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/11\/21\/with-dads-legacy-behind-him-will-horcoff-is-forging-his-own-path-to-the-nhl\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T21:49:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T21:49:08","slug":"with-dads-legacy-behind-him-will-horcoff-is-forging-his-own-path-to-the-nhl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/11\/21\/with-dads-legacy-behind-him-will-horcoff-is-forging-his-own-path-to-the-nhl\/","title":{"rendered":"With dad&#8217;s legacy behind him, Will Horcoff is forging his own path to the NHL"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Shawn Horcoff doesn\u2019t get to see his son play in person very often.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As the general manager of the AHL\u2019s Grand Rapids Griffins, Shawn\u2019s frequently on the road with the team. But the No. 2 Michigan hockey team\u2019s series against Notre Dame presented the perfect opportunity. He\u2019d get to see both his son, Wolverines sophomore forward Will Horcoff, and his oldest daughter, Jade, who is a junior studying biology in South Bend.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Shawn was only able to watch Michigan\u2019s first game before he needed to rejoin the Griffins in Rockford, Ill., so he didn\u2019t get to see Will\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/ice-hockey\/michigan-defeats-notre-dame-in-overtime-2-1-to-sweep-series\/\">overtime winner<\/a> against the Fighting Irish. But he appreciates any chance he gets to watch his son play hockey for Michigan in person. Even if it is for his alma mater\u2019s rival.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPersonally, I still cheer for Michigan State,\u201d Shawn, who captained the Spartans during the 1999-2000 season, told The Michigan Daily. \u201cI\u2019m happy when they do well, obviously. Anytime that they\u2019re not playing my son, I\u2019m cheering for them and pulling for them, being an alumni there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo courtesy of Cindy Horcoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>There was some <a href=\"https:\/\/spartanswire.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/college\/spartans\/hockey\/2024\/12\/26\/spartan-legacy-chooses-to-spend-college-career-at-michigan\/77236619007\/\">hope<\/a> among Spartans fans that, especially given the program\u2019s resurgence under coach Adam Nightingale, the younger Horcoff would commit there. But as much as Will\u2019s life has been defined by his dad\u2019s career and legacy in the NHL and beyond, it\u2019s also defined by the choices he\u2019s made on his own.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wanted to burn his own path,\u201d Shawn said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Will Horcoff chose the Wolverines. Now, as a first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, he\u2019s making a name for himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n<p>Will\u2019s life revolved around the NHL far before he ever contemplated entering the draft. Growing up with a father in the show, it\u2019s hard to avoid it. Just three days after Will was born, Shawn had the primary assist on the Edmonton Oilers\u2019 only goal of a 5-1 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhl.com\/gamecenter\/edm-vs-sjs\/2007\/01\/26\/2006020737\/playbyplay\">loss<\/a> to the San Jose Sharks. He also took a two-minute minor for slashing in the third period.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" data-attachment-id=\"574652\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/will-and-shawn-on-bench-2-yrs-old\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?fit=2400%2C1600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2400,1600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench,-2-yrs-old\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo courtesy of Cindy Horcoff.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?fit=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Will Horcoff as a toddler at a hockey rink with Shawn Harcoff.\" class=\"wp-image-574652\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-and-Shawn-on-Bench-2-yrs-old.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo courtesy of Cindy Horcoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Before he was 10 years old, Will had lived in four cities across two countries and attended eight different schools along the way. He spent the school year in whatever city his father played in and the summer in Detroit, where Shawn trained. <\/p>\n<p>Most kids don\u2019t spend their time running around NHL locker rooms. Will did. Most kids don\u2019t get put into trash cans by young NHL stars because they played pranks on him. Will did.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s really good now,\u201d Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin, the victim of said pranks, told Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. \u201cHe was one of those kids that was around all the time. I just enjoyed interacting with him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Will was on the ice at 4 years old and in elite hockey programs at Honeybaked and Little Caesars when he was 12. He played for the USNTDP and has a World Juniors bronze medal. You\u2019d think his life has always been constrained by rink walls, ice sheets, sharpened skates and taped sticks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"1170\" data-attachment-id=\"574653\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/will-learning-how-to-skate\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?fit=1600%2C2400&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,2400\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Will-learning-how-to-skate\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo courtesy of Cindy Horcoff.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?fit=780%2C1170&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?resize=780%2C1170&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Will Horcoff as a young child at a hockey rink learning to skate.\" class=\"wp-image-574653\" style=\"width:277px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?resize=1365%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1365w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?resize=1200%2C1800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?resize=780%2C1170&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?resize=400%2C600&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-learning-how-to-skate.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo courtesy of Cindy Horcoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>But that\u2019s not the case.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s more to life than hockey,\u201d Shawn said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an unusual statement from one of the 412 people in the world who have played over 1,000 games in the NHL. Shawn built a life and a career around hockey. He met his wife, Cindy, while playing hockey at Michigan State. After that, it was on to the Edmonton Oilers, who drafted him in the fourth round in 1998. He did nothing but play hockey until he retired in 2016, when he became director of player development for the Detroit Red Wings, continuing to pursue a career in hockey. He helped <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/penguins\/status\/1946287233016758322?s=20\">coach<\/a> Will\u2019s youth teams and was often a harsh critic of his son\u2019s performance. Shawn is a hockey player, through and through, and so is Will. And yet Shawn has always believed his son should do more than merely the sport he\u2019s known his entire life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you are fortunate enough to make the NHL and play a long time, there\u2019s still hopefully a lot longer left in your life with many other things to accomplish,\u201d Shawn said. \u201cAs parents, you\u2019re just trying to give your kids as many tools as possible to be successful in whatever they want to do in life. \u2026 He\u2019s obviously working hard on the hockey tools, and hopefully he can make a career in that. But if that\u2019s not the case, (there\u2019s) hopefully other areas that he can find success in as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A strikingly pragmatic view, but one that has been driven into Will from a young age. His parents encouraged Will to pursue things outside the bubble of hockey. Will played both tennis and travel lacrosse into high school. He also has a <a href=\"https:\/\/pickleball.com\/people\/backyard-pickleball-court-memories-always-special-for-will-horcoff\">well-documented<\/a> love of pickleball. Eventually he had to quit lacrosse to focus on hockey full-time, but the experience of playing other sports at higher levels was one that he valued.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s really important, playing multiple sports, just to build athleticism,\u201d Will told The Daily. \u201cIt\u2019s always nice to play something else, as well. I\u2019m a competitive person. I like all types of games, not just hockey.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Perhaps more importantly than the variety of athletics, though, was the emphasis Shawn and Cindy placed on academics. Both graduated from Michigan State with degrees in finance; Will is following in their footsteps as he plans to major in economics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For Will, this focus on education proved to be a boon to his hockey career. He did not commit to college as soon as he was eligible, weighing his options for most of his junior year. Academically, he could have gone anywhere. Near the end of the school year, he\u2019d narrowed it down to a few schools, including Harvard, Michigan and Michigan State. Harvard was a good fit academically. Michigan State was his father\u2019s legacy. But Michigan was where Will saw his future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201c(My dad) wanted me to go where I felt was best and where I wanted to go deep in my heart,\u201d Will said. \u201cAnd that was Michigan at the end of day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Michigan was somewhere he could build his own legacy. Will liked the academics, particularly the opportunities in business. He also liked the development plan Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato laid out for him, and he liked the number of players Naurato has helped reach the NHL in his four years at the helm. On April 25, 2024, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C6MkqkEgvyC\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">announced<\/a> his commitment to Michigan.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean that Shawn is wearing Michigan gear now, though.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-5    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s gotta win a national championship for me to put a piece of that on,\u201d Shawn said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For his senior year of high school, he went back to the NTDP, moving up to the U18 team. Despite playing limited minutes in a fourth-line role, he always planned on finishing the year with the team, going through the draft process and joining the Wolverines in the fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Then, Naurato picked up the phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n<p>In November 2024, Michigan graduate defenseman Tim Lovell <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/ice-hockey\/tim-lovell-departs-the-university-of-michigan-and-michigan-hockey\/\">signed<\/a> with Jukurit of the Finnish Liiga, and shortly thereafter, Wolverines forward Christian Humphreys <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/ice-hockey\/kitchener-rangers-announce-signing-of-christian-humphreys\/\">signed<\/a> with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. Already struggling with injuries, Michigan was left very shorthanded. Naurato desperately needed another body.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-6    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t easy to find one. The player needed to be academically eligible to play for Michigan and able to join the Wolverines mid-year. Will had graduated early and was already accepted for the following year, so he was eligible to enroll a semester early. Naurato has known Will for more than seven years, having worked under Shawn while he was with the Red Wings, and was convinced Will could handle the transition even as a 17-year-old.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest thing with him was, academically, we felt like he could handle it,\u201d Naurato told The Daily. \u201cI think he (was) as mature as you can be for a 17-year-old. \u2026 And I knew the opportunities that we (could) put him in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For Will, it was a perfect chance. He was playing limited minutes on a struggling NTDP team, and Naurato wanted to try him in former forward Dylan Duke\u2019s left-side net-front spot on the power play. Even though he\u2019d be the youngest player in college hockey if he joined, he bet on himself and his abilities and made the leap. In front of 25,709 people at Wrigley Field, Will made his collegiate debut, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/ice-hockey\/mid-season-addition-will-horcoff-stands-out-in-debut\/\">scoring<\/a> a goal and an assist.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just remember playing free,\u201d Will said. \u201cThat\u2019s the best thing about coach Naur. I came in, youngest guy in college hockey, halfway through the year to a team that\u2019s already been together, and he was just like, \u2018Go be you and go play free.\u2019 I thought I was able to do that out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" data-attachment-id=\"574675\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/ice-hockey\/with-dads-legacy-behind-him-will-horcoff-is-forging-his-own-path-to-the-nhl\/attachment\/screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9-22-18-pm\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?fit=2488%2C1654&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2488,1654\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screenshot 2025-11-20 at 9.22.18\u202fPM\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?fit=1024%2C681&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?fit=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-574675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?w=2488&amp;ssl=1 2488w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?resize=1024%2C681&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?resize=1536%2C1021&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?resize=2048%2C1361&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?resize=1200%2C798&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?resize=2000%2C1330&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?resize=400%2C266&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-20-at-9.22.18-PM.png?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Ananya Kedia\/DAILY.<\/em> Buy this photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That freedom provided a boost to both himself and the Wolverines. Michigan\u2019s power play improved after his arrival and he rocketed up in mock drafts from a third or fourth rounder to a potential first-rounder as he accumulated points. In a matter of months, he had surpassed his father\u2019s draft position. His stock rose further with an outstanding showing of athleticism at the NHL Draft Combine, where he set a combine <a href=\"https:\/\/mgoblue.com\/news\/2025\/6\/10\/ice-hockey-horcoff-sets-nhl-combine-record-as-2025-draft-approaches\">record<\/a> in the horizontal jump and placed highly in several other categories.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He also went through interviews with every team. One team he <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/penguins\/status\/1938955114934358449?s=20\">spoke<\/a> with twice was the Pittsburgh Penguins. He doesn\u2019t remember much about the conversations with the Penguins \u2014\u00a0 \u201cI had 31 in four days,\u201d Will said \u2014 but he remembers how he felt after.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just remember coming out and feeling happy,\u201d Will said. \u201cI honestly just remember coming down being like, that\u2019s the place I want to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In June, he got his wish. The Penguins traded up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/sports\/ice-hockey\/will-horcoff-picked-by-pittsburgh-penguins-as-the-no-24-pick-in-2025-nhl-draft\/\">select<\/a> Will 24th overall. Shawn had a bit of a heads-up about the pick, but Will was unaware.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know for sure,\u201d Will said, laughing. \u201cThere were a couple of family members in between my dad (and I), \u2026 but I heard some muttering over there. So I knew there might\u2019ve been a chance, but I didn\u2019t know for sure until my name was called.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And as \u201cMr. Brightside\u201d by The Killers played \u2014 Will\u2019s chosen draft song \u2014 he climbed up the steps of the stage and put on a Penguins jersey. As the youngest player in college hockey, he\u2019d elevated himself all the way to a first-round selection.<\/p>\n<p>The whirlwind didn\u2019t stop. Immediately, he got a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/penguins\/status\/1938988252519612418?s=20\">call<\/a> from Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/penguins\/status\/1938807053553664403?s=20\">FaceTime<\/a> from sophomore forward Michael Hage and a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/penguins\/status\/1939061650453135815?s=20\">call<\/a> from former Michigan forward and current Penguin Rutger McGroarty \u2014 all while he was still doing media. His favorite message, though, was a text from Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who Will <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/penguins\/status\/1939817523957969031?s=20\">watched<\/a> growing up.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust a shock,\u201d Will said. \u201cGrowing up watching him, he was one of my favorite players, and obviously how dominant and how big of a leader he was, always a role model for me growing up. So to get a text from someone like that, super special.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At development camp, he got to connect with Pittsburgh\u2019s staff, including Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos. Kostopoulos often checks in with Will and came to see him in person against Western Michigan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreat kid,\u201d Kostopoulos told The Daily. \u201cReally good kid with a good head on his shoulders. Confident, but also understands there\u2019s work to do, and wants to dive into how he can get better as a hockey player. He knows there\u2019s work to do to get to the next level, and he wants to talk about it. He wants to work to keep improving his game.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"1170\" data-attachment-id=\"574654\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/will-in-anaheim\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?fit=1600%2C2400&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,2400\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Will-in-Anaheim\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo courtesy of Cindy Horcoff.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?fit=780%2C1170&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?resize=780%2C1170&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Will Horcoff as a young child at a hockey rink in Anaheim.\" class=\"wp-image-574654\" style=\"width:303px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?resize=1365%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1365w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?resize=1200%2C1800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?resize=780%2C1170&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?resize=400%2C600&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-in-Anaheim.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo courtesy of Cindy Horcoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>His game has taken a noticeable step this year; Will has 18 points in just 14 games to start the year with Michigan. He took skating lessons over the summer \u2014 something his dad did while in the NHL \u2014 and is working on his defensive play. Will knows he\u2019s only got so many years with the Wolverines, and he is dead-set on making them count. He has to make his dad wear the maize and blue.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBig Ten, playoffs, national championship \u2014 that\u2019s the ultimate goal for me,\u201d Will said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing more I want.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Will\u2019s path will always be entwined with his dad\u2019s, but he\u2019s forged his own way in hockey and isn\u2019t planning on stopping any time soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shawn Horcoff doesn\u2019t get to see his son play in person very often.\u00a0 As the general manager of the AHL\u2019s Grand Rapids Griffins, Shawn\u2019s frequently on the road with the team. But the No. 2 Michigan hockey team\u2019s series against Notre Dame presented the perfect opportunity. He\u2019d get to see both his son, Wolverines sophomore [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[3729,3730,2086,1867,65,3731],"class_list":["post-3767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-dads","tag-forging","tag-horcoff","tag-legacy","tag-nhl","tag-path"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3767"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3769,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3767\/revisions\/3769"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}