Alex Cotton (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
Neutral Zone NHL’s Donald Godreau, May 2020: As a 2001, Cotton has had a little more time to develop then some of the other prospects, but his improvement from last year to this year cannot go unnoticed. Reaching the 20 goal plateau and averaging over a point per game is no small feat. Cotton gets around the ice with good feet. He has a low strong stride, and can push the pace when he has the puck. For the most part he transitions smoothly, and has good balance on his feet, but relies on his reads and good anticipation to keep opponents out of dangerous scoring areas. He rarely seems out of position, and does well with his body positioning and stick to angles guys into the boards and away from the centre of the ice. Cotton has a nice frame and while he already shows good strength and determination in the tough areas of the ice, he still looks like he can get stronger. In the offensive zone, he has an excellent shot. A very strong one timer that explodes off of his stick with accuracy and power. Cotton moves the puck well with both his feet and strong passing. He has good poise under pressure, and can shake off attackers with quick feet, or quick changes in direction with his skating. In the open ice, he’ll look off forecheckers and slide pucks to teammates on the fly, Alex has a little deception to his game that comes mostly from his thought process, and high IQ then it is from his athletic and physical abilities. A telling sign for Alex will be how he plays next year if/ when Addison and Cozens aren’t on the roster to help him out. We feel he’ll be up for the challenge and take on an important leadership role with the Hurricanes. Grade: C
WHL – Lethbridge Hurricanes NHL Prospects, March 2020: Alex was most notable in transition and on the power play. He has a quick first backwards thrust which allows him to hold the offensive blueline for that extra split second longer resulting in tight gap control and dump ins. He retrieved the puck with confidence and a purpose while also working hard to be an option for his partner. Alex is very good at activating to create the second wave of attack or to create odd man situations and this game was no different. On the power play he makes a quick first pass, settles poor passes smoothly and has a rocket of a shot that is difficult for goaltenders to control. Game Grade: B
February NHL Draft Rankings: Alex was ranked #136 with a ‘C+’ NHL evaluation grade.
Alex Cotton scouting evaluation, February 2020: Alex is a smooth skating right shot defenseman who is having an incredible sophomore season for Lethbridge. After recording 11 points during his rookie Western Hockey League season, Alex is averaging over a point per-game with 57 points through 52 games (17 Goals & 40 Assists). He is very poised with puck in all situations. He makes an excellent first pass in transition, controls poor passes very well and has the skating ability to carry the puck out of trouble when needed. He is not an overly physical defenseman, but is strong and powerful when closing on opposing forwards to eliminate the cycle. His quick feet enable him to hold the offensive blueline longer than most of his peers and he does not need to crossover to generate backwards speed. Alex views the entire ice surface while defending the rush and is prepared for quick transition after creating turnovers or forcing dump ins. He has a very quick release and his one timer hits the net. During 5 on 5 situations Alex shows good offensive awareness by consistently noticing when the opposing wingers sleeping and attacking either the high slot or backdoor. He has the potential to be a power play and penalty kill option in professional hockey. We feel a smart NHL team will wait until the fourth round to draft Alex, but if a Director of Scouting feels that this year isn’t an aberration he will go in the top two.