Alex Letang - Junior Review

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Alex Letang - Junior Review

 

Alex Letang likes to joke that he didn't choose to play hockey, but that hockey chose him. Alex was born into the hockey life, as his father Kris played defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins. All of his early life, Alex remembered watching his dad play live and on the television. Sometimes he'd even go on YouTube with his dad to watch the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup victory celebrations, where Kris brought him onto the ice for post-game interviews. As soon as Alex learned to walk, his father immediately put him on skates. As the months and years passed, Alex was fluent on skates and had moved on to using a stick as well. Kris had a mini ice rink installed in the backyard, where the duo would practice together, with Kris forcing Alex to participate in physically draining conditioning drills. However, the practice bore fruit when Alex finally joined a youth team.

 

As a young defenseman, Alex had a lot to learn about his role on a team. He had decided to be a defenseman, like his father, but his instincts screamed at him to be an offensive minded defenseman. He would constantly join rushes at inopportune times and end up out of position on aggressive takeaway attempts, much to the ire of his coaches. He never failed to score points, however, the coaches would constantly ask him to switch positions to a forward due to his lack of defensive awareness. Stubbornly, and out of respect to his father, Alex never budged, insisting his role on a team was to be a defenseman.

 

In order to develop the defensive awareness and intelligence that was lacking, Alex would take time on off-days to watch film with his father, often picking his brain on when to play aggressively and when to settle back and let the forwards focus on offense. The film study and extra training helped, as Letang improved tremendously in the defensive aspects of his game, drawing the eye of various junior teams and colleges. 

 

Alex joined the Calgary Flames Midget AAA team as a 15 year old, and performed well, posting 23 points in 34 games. His attention to detail on defense paid off, but the offensive production declined. He then joined the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL for his 16 and 17 year old seasons, where he refined his two way game, and exploded on both ends of the ice. Over two seasons with the Bandits, Letang posted 34 goals and 96 assists, for an impressive 130 points in 108 games. His strength and conditioning training with his father also helped, as he played through both seasons without any major injuries. These performances led him to UMass Amherst, where he caught the eyes of pro scouts in the VHL.

 

Letang took a season to adapt to the pace of the NCAA, posting 21 points in 34 games, but created offense and provided steady defense in a way unseen in stat lines. The team's puck possession numbers surged when he was on the ice, and he consistently suppressed shots again, all while creating high numbers of offensive chances. For his sophomore season, he was named captain, and absolutely dominated, posting a 16/33/49 stat line over 41 games. 

 

Impressed with his overall performance, the Las Vegas Aces selected him 26th overall in the 3rd round of the S71 VHLM draft, sparking the beginning of a potentially exceptional pro career.