Cotton, Hall proud to don a letter for the Canes

By Dale Woodard on February 27, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDsports@lethbridgeherald.com

They’re the guys with the letters.
And Justin Hall and Alex Cotton are ready to wear them proudly.
Last week, the Canes named their leadership group, headed up by captain Dino Kambeitz.
Joining Hall and Cotton in donning the alternate’s ‘A’ are Logan Barlage and Mitch Prowse.
With those letters assigned, Cotton, Hall and the Hurricanes skate into their COVID-19 shortened, 24-game Western Hockey League season tonight in Edmonton against the Oil Kings before returning to the Enmax Centre Saturday night at 6 p.m.
“I’m just honoured to be a part of this leadership group. It’s one of the best we’ve had” said Cotton, a blue-liner from Langley, B.C. who had a breakout year in his second year in Lethbridge with 20 goals and 67 points in 63 games last year, topping all WHL defencemen. “Just for our young guys, our team is pretty close this year. Sometimes in the past our older guys and younger guys were a little split up. But I think this year we’re a pretty tight knit group. They come to us for questions and we’re open to anything.”
Hall heads into his third year with the Hurricanes after scoring 13 goals and 36 points in 61 games last season.
“I’m really honoured to be wearing a letter this year,” said the six-foot-one, 205-pound product of Edmonton. “We have a lot of good players and a lot of guys who want to help and want to teach and to be a good leader to them and show them what I’ve learned, I’m excited to have the A.”
Hall was among the players singled out by Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt as a player who stepped up his game a little over a year ago when now-departed forward Dylan Cozens and defenceman Calen Addison were at the 2020 World Junior Championship, winning the gold medal with team Canada.
“Me and Bar played really well during that stretch and I think we have all the confidence in the world that we can re-create that stretch for the entire 24-game season,” said Hall.
Cotton, whose 2019-20 season made him a fifth-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings at last October’s NHL draft, has taken his cue from a few past Hurricanes leaders such as Jordy Bellerive and Giorgio Estephan.
“Even last year, Dylan and (Ty) Prefontaine were also great captains,” said Cotton. “I think what I’ve learned from them is how hard they work and how hard you have to work to get where they are now. Belly was always in the gym right after practice working on stretching and Cozens was the exact same way. That’s what we’re trying to do here. Personally, I’m trying to make the next step next year and right now I’m focused on the season and I want to win some games.”

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