Chicago Blackhawks: Is Alex Turcotte an option for the Blackhawks?
The Chicago Blackhawks are headed for one of their biggest and most important offseasons in recent memory and it is so important that they nail their draft.
The 2019 NHL Draft is fast approaching for the Chicago Blackhawks, and there are plenty of options for them at third overall. One of the outside chances for them at pick number three might be Alex Turcotte. He is a center that is getting ready to attend the University of Wisconsin. He will certainly be playing there for at least one season but he will be eligible to sign his pro contract after one season at any point unless he decided to go back.
He is the type of raw talent that still needs some development but his ceiling is high enough to consider him near the top of the draft. He will be drafted somewhere between 3-11. He is sort of a wild card because his ranks vary on all of the different major draft boards. Different scouts see different things in him.
If Turcotte came to Chicago within the next two seasons he would likely slot into the third line center role. The Blackhawks have Jonathan Toews and Dylan Strome to fill out the top two centers and it will likely remain that way for the foreseeable future. Turcotte would be a great addition to the bottom six right away and ultimately could grow into a really good second line center.
In his draft year, he played for the United States National Development Program where he scored 27 goals and added in 35 assists for 62 points. That is great production for a loaded USNDP team. In 7 games for the United States at the World Junior Championships, he had four goals and five assists for nine points. These are great numbers and he has earned to be in the conversations of a top 3-10 pick.
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If he got a guy like Brandon Saad on his wing he would certainly go a long way in his improvement once he reached the National Hockey League. If the Blackhawks were to pass on Turcotte, whichever team drafts him will certainly have big plans for his development and have hopes for him in the middle of their future.