Los Angeles Kings‘ 1st round pick in the 2019 draft (#5 overall) rookie center Alex Turcotte(38) has been sort of quietly surviving his rookie season playing hockey in a pandemic with affiliate Ontario Reign, sort of quietly grabbing a couple of snipers and 10 assists in 20 AHL games on a non-playoff contending team.
Nothing like the pair of seasons in the USNTDP program that got him selected super early and saw him commit to University Of Wisconsin.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward only lasted one season in college hockey before deciding to sign his 3-year entry level deal and get started.
At still just 20 years old, the recent WJC U20 gold medal winner could benefit from more time in the minors but in a better session could perform on the scoresheet like he did and could get the recall from a team that’s also in need of some scoring punch.
After posting 3 goals and 7 assists in 18 games with a +10 rating, he scores himself an NHL recall and debut.
In his 1st game, he skates 20 shifts for 12:08 ice time with 3 shots, 1 take away, 1 shot block, 2 penalty minutes and was a -1 in a 6-3 loss.
Recalled for a 1st time after exploding scoring in the minors, he pots a 1st NHL goal in 14 tries over 3 seasons to finally get it done.
He is showing effective play at both levels and is rewarded with a 3-year deal through 2026/2027 to stay in a Kings‘ jersey.