Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey

’16 Draft: Alex DeBrincat’s going back to Chicago

Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey
Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey

 

By @MichaelCaples –

Alex DeBrincat grew up in Farmington Hills, and he has spent the last two seasons with the Erie Otters.

In between his youth hockey days and his OHL career in Pennsylvania, however, DeBrincat spent one year at Lake Forest Academy just outside of Chicago.

In a few years, there’s now a very good possibility that DeBrincat will be moving back to the Windy City.

The Chicago Blackhawks selected DeBrincat No. 39 overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, claiming a player who had been ranked a potential first-round pick by many analysts. For DeBrincat, the moment served as a reunion of sorts.

“I like Chicago a lot,” he told MiHockey shortly after the draft. “Being able to go to school a year there and then get drafted by the team there, it’s pretty cool. All my friends from there are big Hawks fans, so it’s pretty cool to talk to them after that and just experience it with them.”

For DeBrincat, the draft experience consisted of a long Friday night wondering if he would be selected, then relief early Saturday morning when the Hawks called him to the draft floor.

“The first night was kind of a long night,” DeBrincat said. “I didn’t know if I was going to go or not. It was just a lot of waiting. Then the second round came around, and it wasn’t too long until I was picked.

“It was pretty surreal, to be honest. Such a good organization being able to pick me, it’s a dream come true, really.”

debrincat blackhawks
For a 5-foot-7 forward – his size serving as the main reason he wasn’t a bonafide first-round pick (DeBrincat has posted two 50-plus goal seasons in Erie) – there may not be a better place than Chicago.

The Blackhawks have thrived with undersized but skilled forwards like Hart Trophy winner Patrick Kane and Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin, and the organization has won three Stanley Cups since 2010.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” DeBrincat said. “They develop their players really well, obviously. Three Cups in the last six years, I think that speaks great volumes in itself. To be a part of a great program like that, it’s just such an honor and I’m so excited to be a part of it.”

DeBrincat will be ready when he gets his chance to skate with the likes of Kane and Jonathan Toews, as well, after brushing shoulders with elite talent during his Erie days. In his rookie season, DeBrincat skated on a line with future No. 1 pick Connor McDavid, and last year, did the same with No. 3 overall pick Dylan Strome.

The new member of the Chicago Blackhawks gives a great deal of credit to the Otters’ franchise for his latest success in hockey.

Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey
Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey

 

“The coaching staff there and the players I have played with have always helped me a lot,” DeBrincat said. “Just playing with that list of guys that were on our roster both years, you can go down the list and I think all of them have helped me so much, but especially Connor and Dylan have helped me so much – just watching them in practice and trying to pick apart their game and see what I can put in my game has definitely made me a better player. The coaching staff, they’ve spent countless hours on trying to make me a better player and giving me every opportunity to succeed. It’s a first-class organization, and they really helped me a lot.”

He hasn’t forgotten about where he came from, though. DeBrincat said his youth hockey days in Michigan made him the player he is today.

“I think that definitely helped me a lot too,” DeBrincat said. “Playing against the best, Michigan has five or six AAA teams that compete with each other every year, and the best players are here. That definitely helped me, playing against the best when I was younger. Just kind of moving up and learning how to play against those guys, I mean, I played against Victory Honda and that organization has done a lot for me and those were some of the best years of my life.”

As for advice for his fellow vertically challenged players, DeBrincat said hard work can balance out any genetic disadvantage.

“You just have to keep working,” he said. “Nothing comes to easy, so, going along in your life, you just have to keep working and play hard. Give all you can, and hopefully, things go your way.”