The Chicago Blackhawks had luck on their side during the NHL Draft lottery, coming up with the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. On June 22 in Vancouver, Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman will walk to the podium and announce, hopefully, the next potential franchise-changing draft pick for Chicago. The Blackhawks track record picking third overall has brought them players like Denis Savard, Ed Olczyk and Jonathan Toews, but also Cam Barker. With the 2019 NHL Draft class looking to be abundant with high-level talent, the pick at third overall would be hard to mess up. This is the case for the Chicago Blackhawks to select Alex Turcotte with the No. 3 pick.
The Background
An Illinois native from Island Lake, Alex Turcotte has hockey in his blood. The son of Alfie Turcotte, a former first round draft pick by the Montreal Canadiens who played 16 professional seasons around the world, and grandson of Réal Turcotte, who played four seasons with Michigan State in the 1960s, Alex is poised to be the highest-drafted Turcotte in his family line.
2019 NHL Draft prospect Alex Turcotte played with the Chicago Mission in 2016–17. (Photograph courtesy of Paul Kidd)
Turcotte played for the Chicago Mission U16 team during the 2016–17 season, alongside future Wisconsin Badgers teammate Owen Lindmark. He led the Mission in points with 35 through 20 games and moved on to the US National Team Development Program the following season. In two seasons playing for Team USA, Turcotte has skated in 162 games across the U17 and U18 levels, tallying 211 points and earning a U18 World Junior Championships Silver Medal in 2018 and a 2019 Bronze Medal this past weekend.
Turcotte fills future need for Blackhawks at center
First and foremost, the Chicago Blackhawks have a need for a dynamic forward prospect in their system. Players like Dylan Sikura, Evan Barratt and Philipp Kurashev have shown promise at the junior, NCAA and minor levels, but there is a lack of a sure-fire, “next” player who will slot into the Blackhawks’ top six in their system. Riddled with players whose ceiling could be to eventually fill third-line roles, Chicago needs a player who is going to make that jump.
Turcotte looks the part of that “next” player. While his size at 5-foot-11 and hovering in the 195-pound range is not the most imposing, especially when compared to other players that the center position like Kirby Dach (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) and Dylan Cozens (6-foot-3, 185pounds), but his skill and work ethic on both ends of the ice are things all NHL teams desire. He possesses a playmaking ability that has been honed with the US National Developmental Team Program alongside players like Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Trevor Zegras and Matthew Boldy, all players that are projected to be drafted within the top 15 picks this June.
If Turcotte was not hindered with injuries early this season, his numbers and draft projections would probably both be higher going into the NHL Draft. At the U18 World Junior Championships this past week, Turcotte put up nine points in seven games as the United States won the Bronze Medal over Canada; a solid showing, but overshadowed by teammates Hughes and Caufield breaking tournament scoring records. That would be a theme that has followed Turcotte all season with Team USA: Playing behind the near-consensus top overall draft prospect in Jack Hughes. When looking at production this season for Team USA in USHL competition, Turcotte put up the highest points per game of any player with a 2.12 scoring rate.
The Blackhawks showed last season that they are more than capable of putting up big numbers offensively from their major forwards, fronted last season by Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome. But, the depth of the forwards group and their ability to play a two-way game, outside of Toews and Brandon Saad, left the Chicago forwards thin and at times a liability that the defensive group could not make up for. If Chicago were to add Turcotte, he could slot into the 2020–21 roster and play a third-line role down the middle, adding both a scoring and playmaking touch offensively, while also having the ability to be sound in his own end of the ice.
The case against Turcotte
Injury issues and comparative size are the biggest marks against Turcotte in this draft class. The Blackhawks do need a dynamic player down the middle, and the possibility of adding a player like Kirby Dach or Dylan Cozens, guys who are arguably NHL-ready as far as size and skill go, might be hard for Chicago to pass up. Turcotte is committed to the University of Wisconsin next year and is likely to be a one-and-done player for the Badgers. Although it is just one year to wait, the Blackhawks might stray away from taking a player who they will have to wait for, if a player who is NHL-ready is available for next season. The Blackhawks could also address their need for an immediate roster filler on defense by taking top-ranked defenseman Bowen Byram and loading up the future of the blue line, already having Henri Jokiharju ready to go next season and Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell and Nicolas Beaudin coming down the pipeline very soon.
Conclusion
With NHL comparisons being made to players like Dylan Larkin, Zach Parise and current Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, Turcotte looks to be the best player in the draft when it comes to playing a complete game. For a Blackhawks franchise that needs a player that they can look to be the future of the forwards group, Turcotte can play that part. If Chicago is looking for a future top-line forward that they can hang heavy minutes on and play in all situations in the near future, Turcotte fits the bill.