RW Alex DeBrincat (2016, 39th, CHI)
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99% chance he isn't.
5'7" is beyond small based on NHL standards.
Nic Petan was bigger than him, scored 120 in the W and went in the 2nd round.
landy92mack29
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Let's Go Hawks!
Mark Kandy
Habcoolic
...and I was wondering what he'd look like without Connor around
Same for me. Was used to say his success was mainly due to playing with McDavid... his 5 goals game tonight was kind of amazing, I may shut the hell up now.
Semantics
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I got flamed so hard last year for saying if he was 6'2" with the same skill and production he'd be competing with Matthews for #1 overall. So many people thought he was just a product of McDavid. Looking forward to being proven right this year, as usual.
AuraSphere
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- Jun 27, 2012
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Holy snap... I noticed him last year as well, always thought it was surprising that he stood out despite being on a team with mcdavid/strome, but even without them he's killing it :/
Maplebeasts
I See Demons!!!!!
Well it's no secret that he has unbelievable skill, it's just a question of physical maturity. If he can reach 5"10 and 180 pounds, the team that selects him will be laughing to the bank in a few years.
Caged Great
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Mitchy
#HFOutcasts
Loved what I saw out of him last year. Hopefully, he can prove to others that he's not a product of McD. I'm definitely rooting for him.
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DeflatedFootball7
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7 points in three games to start the season.
IMO if he puts up 100 points again without Strome and McDavid he'll be a lock to be a first rounder 5'7 or not. Petan only did it once and was picked second round despite his size.
IMO if he puts up 100 points again without Strome and McDavid he'll be a lock to be a first rounder 5'7 or not. Petan only did it once and was picked second round despite his size.
5 goals came in one game. He won't get drafted. He's gonna be a bust, just like that Mceichel kid
He's still a long shot to make the NHL. Teams aren't going to spend a 1st rounder on him, especially if there are players that are lower risk.
Zaddy
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Conor Garland had 129 points last year (albeit in his draft+1 season) and was a 5th rounder. I doubt any team is taking DeBrincat before the 3rd round. If a small guy is going to get picked in the 1st round it's more likely to be Vitali Abramov.
Garland was just above ppg in his draft year whereas Debrincat scored more than a 100 points just this past season.
I think he's more comparable to Petan than Garland.
I think he's more comparable to Petan than Garland.
tsujimoto74
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- May 28, 2012
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Ehhh, GMs seem to be coming around to the idea that small guys can play. When they look around the league and see guys succeeding who were overlooked largely because of their size (eg: Gaudreau, Johnson), I think it's started to change their minds about taking chances on those players. If Debrincat continues to show that he's a player with skill, hockey IQ, etc., I see him going in the late 1st-early 2nd. He's not going to get drafted ahead of similarly skilled players with size, but I don't think his size will destroy his draft stock either.
Zaddy
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Well, if the listings are accurate then Petan is 5'9 and DeBrincat 5'7. That's a pretty big deal IMO. If he has a really spectacular season then yes I could see him sneaking into the 2nd round, but I still think that's pushing it a little bit, but we'll see.
theIceWookie
#LeafHysteriaAlert
Well Connor Garland had already passed through the draft once and was 19 when he was drafted by Arizona. So I wouldn't exactly be fond of using Garland as a comparable to Debrincat.
If he puts up another huge season, I'd have a hard time seeing teams wait until past the 2nd round. That kind of talent is hard to come by, small or not. THis league is opening up to small players more and more. The Leafs just drafted a 160 pound player 4th overall. I can totally see a team risking a late first or early second on Debrincat. He'll probably be closer to 5 foot 9 by the end of the season anyways, making him nearly the same size as Abramov.
Size isn't the issue it once was in this league.
Zaddy
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You can look at it both ways. Yes, Petan had a big draft-season with 120 points in 71 games with a 1.69 PPG. But if you compare Petan and Garland's post-draft season Garlands season was actually better. His PPG was 1.92 while Petans was 1.79. So all things considered he put up a hell of a year with 129 points and was still only a 5th round pick (despite, as noted above, tracking better than a 2nd round guy like Petan).
That's not a given at all. DeBrincat was listed as 5'7 last year iirc and coming into this season he is still listed at 5'7. I expected him to have grown but he just hasn't. Maybe he adds one inch but I doubt he'll get to 5'9. Marner, despite his thin frame, is 5'11 and in a growth spurt. Even if he doesn't add any inches he is still likely to add a few pounds to that frame. 5'7 compared to 5'11 is a pretty huge difference.
Now, I'm not saying that DeBrincat can't make it in the NHL. On the contrary I quite agree that it's becoming more and more a small man's game now, but that doesn't mean you can ignore size altogether. DeBrincat is supremely talented but I'd still be shocked to see him go in the 1st round. A guy like Jeremy Bracco was 1st round material based on his talent last year but it still took until the last pick in the 2nd round for him to get selected. Vande Sompel wasn't taken until late in the 3rd.
I also think there's sort of an asterisk around size. It all depends on what kind of game you're playing. If you play a very junior-ish game chances are you're not going to be successful in the NHL, but if you play a very cerebral, quick and elusive game you have a very good chance of being successful. I'm not claiming to be an expert on DeBrincats game but from what I've seen he scores a lot of his goals from up close, areas that will be very tough to get into when he is playing against much bigger and stronger players in the NHL. I could be wrong though, I haven't watched him this year and I can't say I focused all that much on him when watching the Erie Otters last season. Maybe I will have a very different opinion later in the year
Dhockey16
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DeBrincat is a talented player and one of my favorites on the Otters but my gut tells me he's destined for a long and prosperous career...in Europe. He's a tough kid and the skill is evident but even for as much as the NHL has changed the size bias is still there and the style of play in the league is not trending in a direction that favors him.
APVJ
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