DeBrincat wants to force Blackhawks' hand in training camp

CHICAGO -- If Alex DeBrincat were a few inches taller, he probably wouldn't have slipped to the Chicago Blackhawks outside the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Nobody knows that more than Blackhawks director of amateur scouting Mark Kelley, who helped select the high-scoring forward with Chicago's first pick at No. 39 in the second round.

"Those are the hypotheticals," Kelley said of DeBrincat, who is 5-foot-7, 165 pounds. "I can tell you that if he was three or four inches taller, we'd be having a different conversation right now, about a different player."
That's because DeBrincat, who skated in his second developmental camp with the Blackhawks this week, was a prolific scorer in the Ontario Hockey League. Had his size matched his offensive production in three seasons with the Erie Otters, he might already be an NHL player.
Instead, DeBrincat fell to the Blackhawks, a team that isn't afraid to draft small players, such as forward Vinnie Hinostroza (5-9, 173 lbs) in 2012. DeBrincat's become the Blackhawks top prospect, and the hope is to get him to Chicago sooner than later.
"I don't think anybody in the NHL has a problem with anybody's size if they can play," Kelley said. "The thing with Alex is that he's always stood out at his size, playing at an elite level. We did a lot of research on him, and he also played with older kids growing up. He's always played with bigger kids and stood out."

It didn't take long for DeBrincat to show that with the Otters, who signed him prior to the 2014-15 season. Coming off a season with 139 points (70 goals, 69 assists) in 63 games for Lake Forest Academy, a prep school in the suburbs of Chicago, DeBrincat translated that success to the OHL.
He had at least 50 goals and 100 points in each of his three seasons with Erie, and last season earned the Red Tilson Award as the OHL's most outstanding player. DeBrincat had 332 points (167 goals, 165 assists) in 191 OHL regular-season games, and 73 points (30 goals, 43 assists) in 55 playoff games.
"He doesn't give an inch on the ice, even though he's smaller," agent Jeff Jackson said. "He competes hard, but he's got so much hockey sense. He knows where to be on the ice, and he knows how to find holes. That's why he's able to score goals like he does. It all comes from his hockey intelligence."
DeBrincat, who was passed on in back-to-back OHL drafts, played with elite players on the Otters, including Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and Arizona Coyotes forward prospect Dylan Strome.
Now, DeBrincat is hoping to find similar connections with the Blackhawks.
"For me, it's just staying even keeled," said DeBrincat, who helped Erie win the OHL championship last season. "I've done a lot of things in the OHL, and I've had a lot of good seasons, but the NHL's a whole different beast. Having those [big] seasons was nice, but it really doesn't mean anything anymore."
Chicago has most of its lineup already sorted out, but there will be an opportunity for DeBrincat to earn a roster spot in training camp.
His main strengths are vision, an accurate shot that he gets off quickly, and the ability to exploit defensive holes. DeBrincat's focus this summer is adding speed and strength, and then using all his tools to push for an NHL job in the fall.
"I want them to have to make a spot for me," DeBrincat said. "Hopefully something goes right. I want to make it so they can't cut me and they need me to play there. That's kind of the way I'm going into it. I'm not putting any pressure on myself or expectations, but obviously I want to be in the NHL, and I'm going to work as hard as I can."