Best friends Larkin, Werenski set to do battle at Stadium Series for Red Wings, Blue Jackets

When Zach Werenski gets married in Columbus in July, he’ll have one hockey guy standing in the wedding: Dylan Larkin. The best friends have played together many times -- as kids, as college roommates, for their country -- and skate together in the offseason.

But don’t think they won’t compete against each other. They’ve become pillars of their NHL teams -- Werenski as the all-time leading scorer among defensemen for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Larkin as the captain and No. 1 center for the Detroit Red Wings -- and they’ll go at it in two big games over the next three days.

After the Blue Jackets defeated the Red Wings 5-2 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thursday, the two teams have 66 points each and hold the first two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference going into their matchup in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, TVAS-D, FX-CA).

They’ll be like brothers on a backyard rink.

“A couple years ago, Dylan and Zach got into a little scrum where they were kind of throwing punches or fake punches,” said Joe Smaza, their youth coach. “You can’t take the competitive nature out of these guys. I was like, ‘What are you guys doing?’”

Smaza laughed. It’s true. Although they weren’t exactly throwing haymakers, Larkin and Werenski dropped the gloves and received fighting majors late in a 3-2 Columbus win at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 18, 2021. They were just doing what hockey players do.

While representing the United States together at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this month, they sat side by side and recalled their first game against each other: a 4-1 Columbus win at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Dec. 9, 2016. Larkin scored on the power play at 4:46 of the second period after Werenski went off for hooking at 3:03.

“The first time we played was at the Joe, and he blew me up,” Larkin said.

“Well, I took a penalty, and he scored when I was in the box,” Werenski said.

“Yeah,” Larkin said, laughing.

“And then, like, a couple shifts later, he’s coming down the wing, and I was pissed at him,” Werenski said. “So, yeah, I hit him pretty hard.”

“That’s where it started,” Larkin said. “The first time playing against each other, and he did that. I was like, ‘All right.’”

Here we go again.

“It’s gonna be awesome,” Werenski said. “I think the best part too is where both teams are at right now. Those games mean something to both of us, and we play on Thursday in Detroit and Saturday in Columbus. Those are big games. I think that’s the most exciting part for us.”

* * * * *

Larkin and Werenski grew up in the Detroit suburbs and played together for Belle Tire, winning a U14 national championship in 2011. They were young versions of what they are today for Detroit and Columbus.

“You look at the way Zach just took his game to another level, it seems like he should be in the conversation for an MVP for that team,” said Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, who also played for Belle Tire back then. “That’s just the type of player he is. We knew that growing up. …

“Obviously, we know Dylan. He’s the heart and soul of that team in Detroit. He can rally the guys. He’s that guy in the locker room getting everybody going. I think the thing that makes Dylan tick, his motor is second to none. He just goes and goes. He’s got that skill, but I think that heart and grit is what I respect the most.”

Smaza said Larkin was a two-way forward and natural leader who “just went out and battled and competed and played the right way” for Belle Tire. Werenski put up big numbers playing against kids a year older as “probably the biggest defenseman at the ’96 age group as a ’97.”

“Their work ethic was ridiculous,” Smaza said. “It wasn’t just the on-the-ice work ethic. It was little things we did away from the ice. When you go back and you look at how hard specifically those two kids worked, they were always asking for more.”

Larkin went to USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in 2012-13, when it was based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Werenski followed in 2013-14. Although Larkin was on the U18 team and Werenski the U17 team in 2013-14, they went to the same high school and skated in the same rink, and Werenski came up to play four games with the U18 team.

Don Granato got to know them as coach of the U17 team in 2013-14. He called Larkin a “fiery, fiery personality.” He said Werenski leads differently, “because people look up to him as a person and as a talent.”

Werenski accelerated his high school studies, at least partly so he could play with Larkin at Michigan in 2014-15.

“I think those guys just naturally gravitated towards each other,” Smaza said. “They had the same mindset, obviously, going to play college hockey together. I think that was probably a big determining factor for Zach to actually go and finish up his senior year early so he could go to the University of Michigan to play with Dylan together and have that experience. I think that was huge for those guys.”

Off the ice, they shared a dorm room at South Quad.

“We had a lot of good times,” Larkin said. “I was the messy one. He’s very organized. He makes his bed and does all the right things. We had the bunk beds set up for the first couple days, and I was on the top. We quickly changed. I think it lasted just the weekend. We had to change it so we were both on the floor.”

On the ice, they shared a desire to be the best. Larkin had been selected by the Red Wings with the No. 15 pick of the 2014 NHL Draft. Werenski would be selected by the Blue Jackets with the No. 8 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft.

“We were competitive and wanted to get to the next level,” Werenski said. “He was going to the NHL the next year, and it was my draft year, so we had some battles on the ice in practice, nothing off the ice. We’re just competitive once we get out there. We enjoy playing against each other.”

Red Berenson, the Michigan coach then, said he wondered how Werenski could handle the intensity of college hockey as a 17-year-old, but Werenski was the Wolverines’ best player in his first college game: a physical 4-3 loss at Ferris State on Oct. 4, 2014.

“He just had a way,” Berenson said. “He had a poise and a confidence no matter what, whether it was with the puck or without the puck. He played his game. And then he just grew from that. He was a terrific player.”

Larkin and Werenski represented the United States together at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship, and they played an outdoor game together, defeating Michigan State 4-1 at Soldier Field in Chicago on Feb. 7, 2015. Berenson said Larkin reached a new level after World Juniors. Larkin turned pro after the season.

“You couldn’t wait to see him get on the ice again, and even when he got to the Red Wings, your eyes would be glued to him,” Berenson said. “As soon as he got on the ice, he was a player to watch, and I thought for a young kid that was a big step.”

Werenski joined Larkin in the NHL in 2016-17. Suddenly, they were opponents.

But they represented the United States together at the IIHF World Championship in 2019, and sometimes, it was like they never left their dorm room. At the 2022 NHL All-Star Game, Werenski walked up while Larkin was on a podium speaking to reporters.

“I’ve got a question for you, Dylan,” Werenski said. “Who was your favorite teammate at Michigan?”

“Probably you,” Larkin said, smiling. “Was that a two-way street, though? Was that mutual?”

“Yeah, we had some battles,” Werenski said.

“Yeah, we did,” Larkin said, laughing. “Was I a good roommate?”

“Certain days,” Werenski said, laughing. “Not on game day.”

* * * * *

Larkin and Werenski admire each other for what they have done in the NHL to reach this moment.

The Red Wings haven’t made the playoffs since Larkin’s rookie year. But he has been their captain since 2020-21, and he signed an eight-year, $69.9 million contract ($8.7 million average annual value) on March 1, 2023, committing to Detroit through 2030-31.

He has climbed to 12th in scoring in the Red Wings’ 98-season history with 559 points (236 goals, 323 assists) in 711 games, including 53 points (24 goals, 29 assists) in 59 games this season, second on Detroit. He’s tied for first in the League in power-play goals (13) with NHL goals leader Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers.

“It’s got to be tough, being from Detroit, spending your whole career in Michigan, kind of being the guy at a young age when it wasn’t going well for them, and then just sticking with it and working hard and really embracing what it means to be a Detroit Red Wing,” Werenski said.

“And he’s done that, and now they’re starting to have some success, and he’s earned it. He deserves it. I’m just thrilled for him. I think for him it’s just his attitude, how he approaches the game mentally. When it’s good, when it’s bad, he still approaches it the same way. He leads by example.

“It’s easy to go south when things aren’t going well. He’s never done that. That’s a credit to who he is as a person and how much he likes playing for the Red Wings.”

Werenski has gone through ups and downs with the Blue Jackets, making the playoffs each of his first four seasons, missing them each of the past four, dealing with injuries. But he signed a six-year, $57.5 million contract ($9.58 million AAV) on July 30, 2021, committing to Columbus through 2027-28.

He has the most goals (108), assists (256) and points (364) among defensemen in the Blue Jackets’ 23-season history, including 62 points (18 goals, 44 assists) in 58 games this season, first on Columbus and second among NHL defensemen. He leads NHL skaters in average ice time (26:50).

“There’s a lot there, you know?” Larkin said. “I mean, what he’s done and what he’s been through, how he stayed. Very proud of him. Obviously, they had some success early in his career and were in the playoffs, and then they went through a little bit of a rebuild. He had some injuries that he dealt with personally that I know it really got to him.”

Columbus forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died Aug. 29 when they were riding bicycles at home in Salem County, New Jersey, and struck by an alleged drunk driver. Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner missed the first 56 games this season with an upper-body injury.

Werenski stepped up as a leader on and off the ice. Larkin got a good look in a 5-4 Detroit win at Columbus on Jan. 2. Larkin had a goal and an assist; Werenski had a goal and two assists.

“It was like how he was back in Belle Tire days, just dominating,” Larkin said. “He was a year younger than us, but he was bigger, could skate faster than everyone and just toyed with kids a year older than him.

“It’s great to see. It’s changed the trajectory of their team the way he plays. He is their team. He drives the bus. It’s just really cool to see. I’m very proud of everything he’s been through and then how he’s handled himself. It’s great.”

Werenski led the 4 Nations Face-Off in scoring with six assists in four games, and Larkin had two points (one goal, one assist) in four games, including the winning goal in a 3-1 victory against Canada at Bell Centre in Montreal on Feb. 15.

Now they will headline the NHL’s next tentpole event.

More than 90,000 fans are expected Saturday, which would make the attendance the second largest in NHL history behind the 105,491 at the 2014 Winter Classic, a 3-2 shootout win for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Red Wings at Michigan Stadium.

Larkin attended that Winter Classic as a fan and has played in two NHL outdoor games. But this will be a first for Werenski, the Blue Jackets and Columbus.

“I’m always a proud friend, and it’s just great to see, so it’s going to be a special afternoon,” Larkin said. “It’s going to be fun seeing him in front of that many fans and see the battle on the ice.”