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Turcotte will be a fire starter for the Los Angeles Kings |
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The Los Angeles Kings recently created their own stimulus package when they signed 2019 first-round draft pick Alex Turcotte after one collegiate season at Wisconsin.
Turcotte should provide a significant and dynamic boost to an NHL franchise that is bottoming out.
“I think he will push the pace and help LA in that capacity-- he can make plays at speed and think at speed which allows for rush chances,” said John Vanbiesbrouck, a former NHL goalie and currently USA Hockey’s assistant executive director of hockey operations.
Turcotte, picked fifth overall in 2019, has the potential to freshen up a Kings’ offense that has grown stale. This season, the Kings rank 30th overall in goal-scoring at 2.53 goals per game.
Undoubtedly, Turcotte will need time to fully develop. He’s not going to alter the course of Kings’ history in his first season, but he’s going to be entertaining to watch and give fans a reason to believe there’s hope for the future.
“We’re seeing a bit of change in that you have to score off the rush to be a top level team, such as Boston or Tampa,” Vanbiesbrouck said. “And I see him in that capacity...He’s a darter type of player who will command the middle of the ice.”
Vanbiesbrouck, who played in the NHL from 1983-2002, says Turcotte sometimes reminds him of Paul Kariya.
“(Turcotte’s) very elusive and he has a great shot,” Vanbiesbiesbrouck said.
Scouts say Turcotte is better defensively than most players his age. He’s a three-zone player with some prickliness in his style. He plays feisty, and he's hard to play against. His father, Alfie Turcotte, played in the NHL and Turcotte’s grandfather, Real, a former Michigan State player, ran a well-known hockey school in Michigan. Alex Turcotte has hockey in his blood.
“He has an edge to his game that is physical," Vanbiesbrouck said. "When young players go through the transition to really being a man in the game, it’s up to them to find their sweet spot. “
In other words, Turcotte can perform many different duties for a team and he will have to decide how he needs to play to be the most effective.
“I think he will learn the traits quickly on defending and sacrificing the body,” Vanbiesbrouck said.
Turcotte had 26 points in 29 games for a Wisconsin team that struggled this past season.
Because Turcotte signed the day before the NHL shut down over the COVID-19 virus, the move didn’t generate much fanfare. But he is an important component in the Kings’ hope to rebuild the team on the fly.
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