WINDSOR, Ont. – Alex DeBrincat is undeniably a fine young hockey player. The brightest forward prospect in the Blackhawks organization is coming off a third consecutive 50-goal season in the OHL and is currently competing with the Erie Otters in the Memorial Cup tournament.
Health and motivation allowing, DeBrincat is headed toward a long and productive professional career. The question is not if he can crack an NHL roster, but when.
The 19-year-old DeBrincat will certainly need to improve his all-around game and physicality in order to stand up to an 82-game grind against the best players in the world, but some of the adjustments he and his coaches have made to his offensive game may allow him to make that jump even sooner than anticipated.