The New Jersey Devils have just as much a chance to pick 5th in the NHL Draft as they do 1st, 2nd or 3rd. We need to look at alternate prospects, and Alex Turcotte’s name keeps coming up.
The New Jersey Devils learn their lottery fate this week. This could be the best week of the season, or one of the worst. If the Devils choose 1st or 2nd, it changes their franchise for at least a decade. They get a player that will make them an instant must-see team.
However, if they fall, this fanbase may implode into itself. After a season’s worth of pain, this would only add alcohol to the wound.
Do not fret. I am here to tell you that even if the Devils fall all the way to five or six, they are going to get a very, very good prospect.
After pick number three, it’s anyone’s guess who goes where. Defenseman Bowen Byram is the top guy at his position, and he could be available to the Devils wherever they pick. Dylan Cozens might be the center they’ve been waiting for on the second line behind Nico Hischier. Kirby Dach brings the size this team is missing in the top six. Peyton Krebs could be the most underrated prospect in this draft.
Another name that’s been in some mock drafts as a top-five pick is Alex Turcotte. He took over Jack Hughes‘ spot on the U17 US Development team, which is a high honor. It didn’t last long, because he soon upgraded to the U18 team.
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This kid is developing every single year, and has so much room to keep improving his game. The reason he’s all over the place in mock drafts is we haven’t seen the total package.
The biggest issue with Turcotte is he dealt with a major hip injury that caused him to miss the first half of last season. That’s not something you like to hear in a player’s draft year. It’s something that might scare a team off.
This is a player the Devils shouldn’t just eliminate from their draft board. Once he returned to the ice, he was near unstoppable. He scored 23 goals in 30 games for the US National Development Team. He was playing lights out despite coming back from an injury that’s taken some players months to get comfortable in game action.
He’s a very talented centerman that’s a nice consolation prize to Jack Hughes. No, he’s not close to his talent level right now. Hughes is a can’t-miss prospect that’s been slated as the number-one pick in this year’s draft for at least two or three years. However, Turcotte’s ceiling is superstar level. A few factors stand in his way. One is injury. The other is living up to his own hype.
Honestly, the Devils might want to go elsewhere with their pick. It could be a good motivating factor for Turcotte to fall a bit down the 1st round. He’s also nowhere close to NHL ready, and the Devils want something of a sure thing no matter where they pick. Turcotte could be really, really good, but the Devils will want someone who is good if he played in the NHL now.