Blackhawks draft quasi-Shaw replacement
BUFFALO, N.Y. - A day after trading away a scrappy, undersized, productive forward with a nose for the net, the Blackhawks went out and drafted another.
But don't mistake second-round pick Alex DeBrincat for an Andrew Shaw clone. After all, Shaw never scored more than 22 goals in the Ontario Hockey League. DeBrincat has scored 51. Twice.
He's tiny at 5-foot-7, but his gaudy numbers had some pundits expecting him to go in the first round. So when he fell to the Hawks at No. 39, Stan Bowman - who's never had a problem giving small players a shot - pounced.
"It's pretty special what Alex has been able to do," Bowman said. I don't know the exact number of guys that scored 50 goals back-to-back in the OHL. It's a very small list. ... He's not a big guy, but he has unique skill and has great hands and great anticipation and he knows how to put the puck in the net."
• This report was produced in partnership with the Chicago Sun-Times. For related coverage, check chicago.suntimes.com.