Alex Peters

History

2011-12: Alex Peters appeared in three midget major games (including two playoff contests) with the Huron Perth Lakers in Ontario; spending most of the season with the club’s midget minor team. He had no points and 2 penalty minutes with the midget major squad. In 28 midget minor regular season games he scored 8 goals with 5 assists and had 14 penalty minutes. Peters scored 3 goals with 2 assists and 6 penalty minutes in eight playoff games. Competing for Huron Perth in the OHL Cup he had 2 assists in four games. The Plymouth Whalers selected Peters in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2012 OHL Priority Draft.

2012-13: Peters, whose older brothers Justin Peters (CAR) and Anthony Peters were both OHL goalies, skated for Plymouth as a 16-year-old. He had 12 assists and was +9 with 31 penalty minutes in 58 games for the Whalers during the regular season. Plymouth finished first in the West Division and reached the conference finals against OHL champion London. Peters skated in 13 playoff games; finishing +4 with 1 assist and 11 penalty minutes.

2013-14: Peters returned to Plymouth for his second OHL season with the Whalers. Limited to 50 regular season games due to nagging injuries, he scored 3 goals with 6 assists and was -3 with 44 penalty minutes. Plymouth finished fourth in the West Division and faced eventual OHL champion Guelph in the first round. Peters was -6 with no points and 10 penalty minutes in five playoff games. He was selected to play for Team Orr in the 2014 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, where he skated with Stars’ 2014 first round pick Julius Honka. Peters was ranked 56th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Dallas in the third round (75th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft. 

2014-15; Peters skated for the Dallas entry in the 2014 Traverse City prospect tournament before returning to Plymouth for his third season of major junior hockey. Named a team captain for the Whalers, he had two assists on opening night but skated in just eight games — suffering a knee injury that required season-ending surgery. Peters finished the year +2 with 4 assists and 14 penalty minutes.

2015-16: Peters returned to the former Plymouth Whalers, who re-located to Flint and were known as the Firebirds. Healthy to start the year, he missed time with a meniscus injury in October that kept him from playing for the OHL all-stars in the Subway Series against Russia. A team captain for the Firebirds, he was in the middle of a team protest when ownership attempted to fire its coaches. Returning to the ice at the end of November, he was a physical presence and a team leader for last-place Flint. Skating in 55 games in what was a tumultuous season, he scored 1 goal with 11 assists and was -7 with 66 penalty minutes. He was not signed to a contract by Dallas and will re-enter the 2016 NHL Draft. 

Talent Analysis

Peters is a hulking, defensive defenseman who is a tremendous physical specimen. He could improve his skating but he moves well laterally and he possesses good leverage and balance. Peters can move the puck with mild effectiveness, but he does not possess an exciting offensive upside. What he does bring is leadership and physicality; though his hits carry him out of position at times. Peters is a raw player who is still learning the game. His timing needs work and he makes poor reads on layered plays, which prompts him to leave his feet often and unnecessarily. Overall, his hockey sense is on the low side and it may affect his long-term growth. A serious knee injury suffered at the beginning of the 2014-15 season has set back his progress.

Future

Peters skated for the Flint Firebirds (formerly the Plymouth Whalers) in 2015-16 in a challenging fourth OHL season. He was not signed to a contract by Dallas and will re-enter the 2016 NHL Draft. In terms of his pro potential, Peters' size and temperament suggests he can be an effective defensive defender at the NHL level.