LA Kings: Mid-season organization’s prospect rankings, the top five

Alex Turcotte – 20 y/o – C/LW(?!) – 2019 Round 1 #5 overall

AHL – Ontario Reign – 13 GP-1G-6A-7P

Not many players in the Kings’ system are as well-rounded as Alex Turcotte. A 200-foot game is the trait most associated with Turcotte. His play reminds me a lot of the long-time Chicago Blackhawks’ captain Jonathan Toews.

Fresh off winning a gold medal in the 2021 WJC, Turcotte was heavily involved in all aspects of play. After a somewhat rough start to the tournament, Turcotte turned it on when it counted, finishing the world-class tourney with eight points in seven games and a plus-eight. What stood out most wasn’t his solid forecheck or setups for linemates Trevor Zegras and fellow Kings’ prospect Arthur Kaliyev, who you’ll see later in these rankings, but it was his solid defensive play.

HockeyProspecting.com Player Comparison

Tony Ferrari Scouting Report

"“The former NTDP star was one of the most productive players on a per-game basis in his draft year and much of it came without the fanfare that Jack Hughes or Cole Caufield received. His ability to be a game-changer offensively and defensively is impressive. He plays to his teammates’ strengths and just seems to be the guy at the center of good things happening. With Byfield likely slotting in ahead of him, he could be among the best 2C’s in the league.”"

Soon after the WJC, Turcotte made his way onto the Ontario Reign roster to begin his professional career. It was a rough start for Alex and pretty much the rest of the Reign, as he struggled to produce offensively and would have problems navigating around the ice with the bigger bodies of the AHL. After playing five games, Turcotte suffered a lower-body injury and was forced to miss a few weeks.

Since his return, however, he’s looked very much like the top-five draft pick he was. Scoring seven points in eight games since his return from injury, Turcotte has looked much more comfortable, and the confidence he has with the puck appears to be growing with each passing game.

One of the more surprising developments for the Ontario Reign in the last couple of games is the move of Turcotte to the left-wing position.  With the number of centers the Kings have in the pipeline, some players moving from their natural center position to the wing wouldn’t be all that surprising. One of those players being Alex Turcotte, has had success along the wing as of late.

The chemistry Turcotte made with Arthur Kaliyev during their time together in the WJC has carried over well to the AHL, and if he continues to thrive in his new position, on the left side of the first line with Rasmus Kupari in the middle, a call up to the big club might be happening quicker than most thought.