He was named the most outstanding player in the OHL and won the Sportsnet Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year Award on Saturday.
"I never thought there was a chance that I could achieve something like this, given what I've had to overcome in my career," DeBrincat said. "When no one drafts you, you don't expect to get your name on a trophy with guys like Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux. This is a pretty amazing moment."
At the Memorial Cup, he is tied for second with nine points (two goals, seven assists) in four games at WFCU Centre, two points behind teammate Taylor Raddysh (Tampa Bay Lightning). In a 6-3 defeat of Saint John in the semifinal game Friday, DeBrincat had three assists, including setting up the game-winning goal by Dylan Strome (Arizona Coyotes) at 2:38 of the third period. He also made a key defensive play in the first period, clearing a puck off the line to keep the game scoreless.
"We knew they were going to have a better game against us than they did the first time," DeBrincat said of a 12-5 defeat of Saint John during round-robin play Monday. "They are tough on defense, and we had to stay patient and keep making plays."
The Memorial Cup championship game Sunday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVA Sports) will be DeBrincat's last in junior hockey. The Blackhawks always are looking for younger talent to complement their core, and last season, six rookie forwards at least 10 games and four played more than 40. But Ryan Hartman was the only one to score more than seven goals so it's likely DeBrincat will have a chance to join Kane in Chicago if he doesn't start the season with Rockford, the Blackhawks' American Hockey League affiliate.
Kane has enjoyed watching DeBrincat's success.
"What he's doing in the OHL is really impressive," Kane said. "We saw him in training camp and I got to know him a little and he's a really good guy. I've talked to different people in the organization about him and they are really excited."