Alex DeBrincat of the Chicago Blackhawks isn’t the first 5-foot-7-inch, 165 lb. success story in the NHL and he won’t be the last, but he his the latest. The 20-year-old native of Farmington Hills, Michigan was selected by Chicago in the second round of the 2016 Entry Draft with the 39th overall pick during a stellar junior career in the Ontario Hockey League. And considering the numbers he posted as a youngster it shouldn’t be too surprising that he’s found his feet in the NHL.
The young winger joined the Erie Otters of the OHL as an unsigned free agent in 2014/15 and racked up 51 goals and 53 assists for 104 points as a rookie in 68 games. He then scored 51 goals and 50 assists for 101 points in 60 games the following campaign and added 127 points on 65 goals and 62 assists in 63 contests in his final year of junior. However, DeBrincat wasn’t chosen in the first round during his draft year as some scouts believed he was too small as well as too slow.
The Blackhawks appeared to know better though and since they didn’t have a first round pick in 2016 they took DeBrincat as soon as they could when they drafted 39th overall. He had already played two seasons with Erie before his name was selected and it came as a blessing for Chicago when he enjoyed his finest junior campaign after the draft by averaging two points per game. The Otters captured the OHL crown that year and the Red Tilson Award went home with DeBrincat as the most outstanding player in the league. He also added 10 points in five Memorial Cup contests.
Looking back at DeBrincat’s junior career we see he was named the CHL Rookie of the Year in 2014/15 and led the league in rookie goals, assists, and points and was named to the OHL’s Second All-Star Team. In 2015/16 he played in the CHL Top Prospects Game, was named to the league’s Third All-Star Team and helped the USA capture the bronze medal at the World junior Championships. He finished with a bang in 2016/17 by leading the OHL in goals and points, being named to the league’s First All-Star Team and to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team. He also helped the Otters win the OHL, won the Red Tilson Trophy, and led the playoffs in both assists with 25 and points with 38.
It didn’t take the youngster long to crack the Blackhawks’ lineup as DeBrincat made his NHL debut in 2016/17 and proceeded to score 28 goals and 24 assists for 52 points in his rookie season even though Chicago missed the playoffs by finishing deal last in the Central Division. DeBrincat stayed active though by playing for the USA at the World Championships in the spring and scored a goal and eight assists in 10 games to help the Americans win the bronze medal. When summer finally arrived he said he worked on his strength, speed and stick handling so he could become a more complete NHL’er.
His work ethic during the offseason has paid dividends so far as DeBrincat, who plays on a line with centre Jonathan Toews, came out of the gate this season with seven goals and four helpers in his first eight games. Since being drafted in 2016, just four NHL players have managed to score more points than DeBrincat and they are more or less household names as they are Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets, Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames and Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes. They’ve also played more games than the Blackhawks’ sniper.
DeBrincat’s 28 goals and 24 assists as a rookie ranked him sixth in the NHL in rookie scoring and third in goals. He’s a small, but definitely skilled player who has a knack for putting the puck in the net and Toews believes it’s just a matter of time before he scored 40 goals in a season and he could even reach that plateau this year. There should be numerous scouts out there who are embarrassed by DeBrincat’s success considering he wasn’t drafted by the OHL and had to wait until the 39th pick in the NHL Draft even though he was the fifth leading scorer in the CHL the season before.