The first time Connor McDavid laid eyes on Alex DeBrincat, he didn’t think the kid would pan out.
It was 2014, and Erie Otters owner Sherwood Bassin wanted to introduce his star player to a new teammate.
“Sherry Bassin comes up to me and says, ‘I’ve found this new winger for you to play with. This is him,’ ” McDavid said Thursday, recounting the story after the Edmonton Oilers’ morning skate at Rogers Place.
‘He proved me wrong’
“And you look at him, and there’s no way he’s going to be able to play,” McDavid said. “He proved me wrong.”
During the 2014/15 season, McDavid, DeBrincat and Dylan Strome formed a lethal line in the Ontario Hockey League, combining for 140 goals.
“Sure enough, he scores 50 that year, 50 the next year, 50 the next year,” McDavid said. “And then he’s in the NHL and everyone’s like, ‘No, he won’t be able to do it, he’s too small.’ And he scores almost 30 goals. So he proves people wrong at every turn. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
While the transition to the NHL was much easier for McDavid.
But over the past two seasons, DeBrincat, who is five-foot-seven and weighs 165 pounds, has continued to prove virtually everyone in the hockey world wrong.
During his rookie season last year, the diminutive Chicago Blackhawks forward had 28 goals and 52 points as a third liner.
This year, DeBrincat is second on the Hawks team in scoring, with eight goals and six assists, just two points behind team leader Patrick Kane.
“I try to do everything at top speed & emulate a bit of his game.” Chicago rookie DeBrincat on <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oilers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Oilers</a>’ McDavid: <a href=”https://t.co/SRiHnLsqJv”>https://t.co/SRiHnLsqJv</a> <a href=”https://t.co/auGN1WJ1cW”>pic.twitter.com/auGN1WJ1cW</a>
—@EdmontonOilers
McDavid said he was looking forward to facing his former teammate on Thursday. Each will be on his team’s top line.
DeBrincat, 20, credits some of his success to McDavid. He told NHL.com on Wednesday that the Oilers captain’s style of play is something he tries to mimic.
“The biggest thing is doing everything at top speed,” DeBrincat said. “A lot of guys, when they try to make moves, they slow down. He (McDavid) doesn’t.
“Also, you find open space. To score goals with him, it’s just finding the open space and he’ll do the rest. There’s so much you learn from watching and playing with a guy like that.”
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McDavid thinks the Oilers may have a similar style player of their own in Kailer Yamamoto.
Yamo, as he’s known by his teammates, is five-foot-eight and weighs 153 pounds. In junior with the Spokane Chiefs, he showed a nose for the net.
He plays a similar style of game to DeBrincat and is currently skating on the Oilers’ top line with McDavid.
“I think Yamo can take a lesson out of his book,” McDavid said. “DeBrincat just has that drive you can’t teach. And if you’re going to be a smaller player in this league, you almost have to have that. A little bit of a chip on your shoulder. And he’s definitely got that.”
The Oilers and Blackhawks face off at Rogers Place on Thursday, with game time at 7 p.m.