Connor McDavid was skeptical the first time he heard Alex DeBrincat was going to be his linemate.
McDavid had already established himself as the probable No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, and DeBrincat was unknown by most when he was signed by the Erie Otters of the OHL prior to the 2014-15 season. He had spent the previous season at Lake Forest Academy in the suburbs of Chicago.
More than anything, there was DeBrincat’s size.
“He just kind of came out of nowhere,” McDavid said after the Edmonton Oilers played the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.