Alex DeBrincat selected 39th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft

By @MichaelCaples –

When you score 51 goals in back-to-back OHL seasons, it doesn’t matter how tall you are.

The Chicago Blackhawks selected 5-foot-7-inch Alex DeBrincat with the No. 39 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

DeBrincat, a Farmington Hills native, played his second season with OHL’s Erie Otters in 2015-16, and he posted 51 goals and 50 assists for a total of 101 points.

That’s actually less points than he had in 2014-15, if you can believe it; as an OHL rookie, he posted 51 goals and 53 assists for 104 total points.

That first season, he posted an incredible +59 rating, en route to OHL rookie of the year honors.

His repeat performance as a sophomore was important for his draft stock, due to the fact that as a rookie, he played with Connor McDavid. However, according to NHL Central Scouting’s David Gregory, DeBrincat was proving his worth well before having to score without the support of the eventual No. 1 overall pick in McDavid.

“There was a stretch of time when Connor wasn’t there because of his injury and that was a real litmus test for a lot of guys on that team last season,” Gregory said, via NHL.com “DeBrincat was one of those guys and he performed unbelievably well in that situation. He’s only going to get stronger and more mature with more games under his belt. There’s no denying the kid’s ability.”

After spending his bantam years and one year of midgets with Victory Honda, DeBrincat played one season with Lake Forest Academy in Illinois before joining the Otters in time for the 2014-15 OHL season.