2019 NHL Draft prospect profile: Centre Alex Turcotte

Next up on The Canuck Way’s 2019 NHL Draft prospect profiles is University of Wisconsin commit and USDP centre, Alex Turcotte.

The USDP has many prospects ranked in the first round in this years NHL draft, however Alex Turcotte has the potential to be the second USDP player drafted, behind top prospect Jack Hughes. In the recent months Turcotte’s stock has seen a steady increase, being generally projected to be selected between the third and seventh pick.

Now this gives the Vancouver Canucks, who possess the tenth overall pick, a highly unlikely chance to draft him, as like mentioned above, Turcotte may be long gone before they select. Despite this, we should still take a look at what Turcotte could bring to the table as anything could happen on draft day, whether Turcotte surprisingly drops or the Canucks trade up.

Player stats

*Stats provided by EliteProspects
Height: 5’11″/180 cm
Weight: 185 lbs/84 kg
Birth Date: February 26th, 2001
Position: C
Handedness: L
Team (league): U.S. National U18 Team  (USDP)

2018-2019 Stats:

Team                                |   League   | GP |  G  |  A  |  TP | PIM | +/-

USNDTP Juniors                 USHL       16   12   22     34    14     27

U.S National U18 team    USDP       37   27   35     62    22    N/A

USA U18                             WJC-18      7      4     5       9       4        4

Rankings:

#4 by HOCKEYPROSPECT.COM
#5 by FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
#4 by ISS HOCKEY
#7 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
#4 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
#6 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
#10 by TSN/Craig Button

Turcotte is clearly seen to have high potential as a playmaking centre, but whether or not he is chosen just after Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko is another question. In The Hockey News’ draft preview, they have Turcotte ranked number ten on their list, while giving him a best case scenario of Brayden Point.

Scouting reports

"“Across-the-board talent with a smart and efficient style. Great offensive instincts, quick acceleration and already the most complete two-way player in the crop. A constant battler, with underrated puck skills.” – Cam Robinson, Dobber Prospects, May 15th"

"“Using a marathon mentality, he put a season checkered with injuries into the rear-view mirror with a stellar U18 tournament.” – Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet, May 8th"

"“When healthy, Turcotte is an absolute beast who plays much bigger than his size. He also has exceptional hockey sense that makes him both a scoring and playmaking threat.” – Chris Peters, ESPN, May 6th:"

"“Alex has a combination of important assets in today’s game, like skating ability, being able to play above the pace of what the game is, reading the play, hockey sense and compete. That’s not even mentioning puck skills, but his skating, hockey sense and compete are at a very high level and very important when translating to what the pro game is today.” – David Gregory, Central Scouting, Apr. 15th"

"Adam Kimelman, Mike G. Morreale and Guillaume Lepage – NHL.com, Apr. 10th: “Kimelman: Scouts were impressed by Turcotte’s two-way ability and his skating.Morreale: The University of Wisconsin commit plays a disciplined game, makes plays at top speed, has good hands, grit, and can move the puck effectively.Lepage: The left-shot center was a big offensive producer for the NTDP after being sidelined early in the season.”"

"“The best projected two-way game in this draft class. Has been hampered by injuries.” – Sam Conentino, SportsNet, Apr. 9th:"

Looking at several reports, Turcotte is praised for his two-way game, compete level, and exceptional hockey sense. His skating and stickhandling are noted as impressive as well. While only being 5’11”, he is also noted as playing a bigger, grittier game than his size would suggest. Despite injuries that limited his amount of games, Turcotte was still able to produce at a high level. Turcotte is committed to the University of Wisconsin. Check out Turcotte’s USNDTP highlights here.

If Turcotte is available when the Canucks are on the board, there is little doubt that they should draft him. Turcotte has the potential of becoming a top line offensive player that despite his size, players a hard gritty game while providing a two-way presence.