Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat won the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player of the Year award on Friday, the league announced Friday. It’s no surprise given how dominant the 5’7 winger was during his third season with the Erie Otters.
DeBrincat, a 2016 second-round pick by the Blackhawks, completed his third straight 100-point season in the OHL. This one was the most impressive yet with a league-leading 65 goals and 63 assists in 63 games.
Only two other players in the league reached 100 points this season, and one of those was Lightning prospect Taylor Raddysh, who was one of DeBrincat’s regular linemates. Panthers prospect Adam Mascherin rounded out the top three.
“Alex is very deserving of this award as his performance was remarkable this season,” said Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman in a statement. “His ability to score goals has been consistent over the last three seasons with Erie and he has done a lot to contribute to the success of his team. We wish him and his team the best during their playoff run and look forward to Alex joining the Blackhawks organization in the future.”
DeBrincat is the first Blackhawks prospect to win the OHL MVP award since Stan Mikita in 1958-59. Brian Campbell also won it in 1998-99, but he was a prospect for the Sabres at the time. Recent winners include Mitch Marner, Connor McDavid, Connor Brown, and Vincent Trocheck.