Day two of my 10 prospects in 10 days brings us to Alex Turcotte, the Kings first round, fifth overall pick of the 2019 NHL draft.

Many Kings fans, myself included, were disappointed when the Kings slipped to the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft. However, their fortunes were reversed when Alex Turcotte was still available for the Kings. The majority of NHL experts concluded that Turcotte would be taken with the third overall pick by the Chicago Blackhawks. Turcotte, originally from Illinois, would have been the “hometown kid” in Chicago. However, the Blackhawks chose to go with Kirby Dach with their pick instead.

When comparing their draft year numbers, Turcotte was more productive; however, they did play in completely different systems. Turcotte, playing for the United States National Team Development program and the United States National Under 18 program, scored 96 points (39+57=96) in 53 combined games between the two programs. Dach played for the Saskatoon Blades, scoring 73 points (25+48=73) in 62 games. While the United States development program is different from major juniors, these numbers demonstrate that Turcotte had a better season offensively than Dach.

The draft-year statistics explain why many people were surprised that the Blackhawks chose Dach over Turcotte because Turcotte has more potential to become a strong two-way first line center at the NHL level. Chicago’s loss is Los Angeles’ gain as they now have one of the most touted center prospects in their development system.

Before being drafted, Turcotte had already committed to play NCAA hockey with the University of Wisconsin. In his freshman year, he had a decent, albeit not wonderful, season. He faced multiple bouts of illness and a knee injury en route to 26 points (9+17=26) in 29 games. He also represented the United States at the 2019 IIHF World Juniors tournament scoring 2 points, both assists in 5 games. It is important to note that NCAA hockey better replicates the NHL style of play over major juniors, as it is harder to produce offensively and it is a more physical style of play. These factors, when combined, demonstrate that Turcotte had a solid season. He has proved that he was ready to play at the professional level.

On March 11, the Kings signed Turcotte to a three-year entry level contract. This ended his NCAA career as he is no longer eligible play in that league. He was supposed to report directly to the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ AHL affiliate. However, things did not go as planned as the NHL and AHL both postponed their seasons on March 12, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As the AHL has cancelled the remainder of their season and the Kings are not included in the NHL’s return to play plan, Turcotte’s season is over and he can set his sights on next season. Kings fans cannot seem to agree on if he will play in the NHL or the AHL next year. It is simply too early to tell where he will play, as lot depends on Jeff Carter’s future with the Kings. The Kings also have many young centers who are striving for roles at the NHL level. In all likelihood, Turcotte will split time, in some capacity, with the Kings and Reign.

His true potential exists in his future, beyond his first year in professional hockey. He is a two-way center with an extreme upside; he could potentially assume the role of either the first or second line center on a team that has many options for center. His role will become more apparent when he earns some playing time at the NHL level.