Alex DeBrincat of the OHL’s Erie Otters is such an interesting player in this draft. He’s coming off back-to-back 50 goals seasons, a 1.6 points-per-game pace during his OHL tenure, CHL rookie of the year in 2014/2015 and a bronze medal at the World Junior’s with Team USA in 2016. While many believe his offensive ceiling can only be rivalled by players in the top five of this years draft, why then is he only ranked 21st among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting? 

DeBrincat’s most obvious perceived weakness is his size. Standing only 5’7″ and 165 pounds the worry is a player who makes his home down low in the offensive zone might have a tough time bringing that game to the NHL. This is a league that still values size and if DeBrincat had these numbers and a 6’4″ frame we might be asking DeBrincat or Laine? While he may be small, it takes only a few watches to see the fire he still plays with. He’s grimy, tough to get a handle on and often straddles that line, occasionally stepping over it:

He’s ranked 21st among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Like we’ve already mentioned, he has put up incredible numbers both in the OHL and the US hockey system. Some may argue DeBrincat has been the beneficiary of a great set of teammates. He’s played alongside McDavid, Strome and Dermott just to name a few but he’s always held his own and been at the top of team scoring. Praised for his quick release and an evasive speed game, he’s been a highlight reel player during his time in junior. 

Here’s some clips of both four and five goal games for DeBrincat. Notice how many of those goals come from causing turnovers with his speed and driving the net even when that means paying the price. It’s hard not to love his style:

DeBrincat could easily become one of the steals of the draft depending on him falling because of his size. We watched Gadreau fall to the fourth round in his draft year despite phenomenal numbers. The NHL is only shifting more in favour of the smaller guys who can play a high speed, high skill game like DeBrincat. Would I want the Wings to use their first round pick on him? Definitely not. I think there’s a lot more up there they should be focused on that early. But I think he would be an absolute steal with their mid-second round pick but that would require him dropping significantly. I think in today’s NHL, someone is likely to take a chance on the kid earlier than that, as the talent is undeniable, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed he slides. 

Special bonus: he shoots right (!!)