The Red Wings picked an “overager” in 19-year-old Alex Cotton during the 2020 draft, and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of the Lethbridge Hurricanes defenseman:
The term “late bloomer” gets thrown out often in sports, and particularly in hockey. It can be a player simply growing into his body, or maturing physically, a little later than his peers. It could also be his confidence growing later than others, or possibly getting an opportunity to show what he can do, when he didn’t get that chance before.
With Cotton, it seemed all those things came together for him while playing with Lethbridge in the Western Hockey League.
Cotton went from scoring 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 54 games with Lethbridge in 2018-19, to accumulating 67 points (20 goals, 47 assists) in 63 games last season. Those 67 points led all WHL defensemen in scoring, and after the season Cotton was named to the WHL Second All-Star Team.
Talk about a breakthrough season.
“When they gave me that opportunity, I wasn’t going to allow anyone to take it from me,” said Cotton, of getting more ice time and special team roles with Lethbridge last season. “I just went out and played the way I knew I can.”
