Dylan Larkin’s Detroit Story Runs From Childhood Red Wings Fan to Team Captain

From the stands at Joe Louis Arena to the Red Wings captaincy

Dylan Larkin’s connection to the Detroit Red Wings began long before he wore the team’s jersey. Raised in Waterford, Michigan, Larkin grew up attending Red Wings games and watching the franchise become part of his sporting identity. Years later, Detroit selected him 15th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, turning a childhood allegiance into an NHL career.

His parents, Kevin and Denise, encouraged Larkin and his older brother Colin to play sports. The family regularly attended Red Wings games, while Larkin developed through local hockey programs including the Lakeland Hawks, Honeybaked and Belle Tire.

One early memory came during Detroit’s 2002 Stanley Cup celebrations, when Larkin attended the team’s parade along Woodward Avenue as a child. That experience became an enduring part of his relationship with the organization.

A Michigan route to the NHL

Larkin’s development took him from local hockey to the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor and then to the University of Michigan. He quickly emerged as one of college hockey’s brightest young players, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors during his first season with the Wolverines.

Detroit’s decision to draft him in 2014 brought the journey full circle. The boy who had watched the Red Wings from the crowd became a professional player for the franchise, and his progress eventually led to the captaincy.

A family shaped by sport

The Larkin family’s athletic story began with soccer. Kevin Larkin grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, after his family emigrated from Dublin, Ireland. Kevin and his brothers Paul and Jimmy played soccer at U.S. colleges, while Jimmy later became a professional goalkeeper who represented Canada internationally.

Dylan and Colin played both soccer and hockey before the family chose to focus on hockey, in part because of the demands and expense of competing in two sports. Colin later played NCAA Division III hockey at UMass Boston and pursued professional opportunities in the American Hockey League and ECHL.

Hometown ties beyond the rink

Larkin’s connection to Michigan has continued in his personal life. He married Kenzy Wolfe in August 2023 at Shepherd’s Hollow Golf Club in Clarkston, near the community where he was raised. The couple later experienced the loss of a child before welcoming their daughter, Lennyn Marie Larkin, in May 2025.

From youth hockey in the Detroit area to the Red Wings’ captaincy, Larkin’s career remains closely tied to the place where his hockey story began.