OSHAWA, Ont. — Sherry Bassin vividly remembers first time he saw Alex DeBrincat play. The former Erie Otters owner was attending a game to scout prospects when the pint-sized forward caught his eye.
"He was just dominant. Played both ends of the ice and I’m thinking, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ Five-foot-seven didn’t matter," Bassin said. "I went down to meet him, asked if he’d play (in the Ontario Hockey League) and he said, ‘I’d think about it’."
Bassin convinced the Farmington Hills, Mich., native to make the jump to the OHL, and the results have been spectacular. On Sunday, in a 4-3 win over the Oshawa Generals, the Blackhawks 2016 second-round pick scored his 50th and 51st goals and set up Dylan Strome’s game-winner.
The three points helped the 19-year-old reach the 50-goal, 100-point, plateau for a third consecutive season, becoming the first player in the OHL’s modern era (1980-present) to accomplish the feat.
"It’s pretty cool, but I couldn’t do it by myself," DeBrincat said. "A lot of credit to the guys and we’ve had good teams here."
DeBrincat, who had 51 goals and 104 points in his first season with Erie en route to winning both the OHL and CHL rookie of the year awards, is an excellent skater with great hands and knows how to get to where the puck is going to be. Despite his size, he’s not afraid to go into the corners and mix it up and has an active stick to create turnovers on the forecheck.
With the hopes of cracking the Blackhawks lineup next season, DeBrincat has been focused on rounding out his game.
"I think my defensive game is something that I’ve really been working on last year a lot, and again this year," he said. "I think it’s really improved from last year to this year – my plus/minus is a lot better so I think I’m doing a pretty good job with it."
Otters coach Kris Knoblauch has been impressed with the forward’s ability to produce in even with added attention from opposing clubs.
"I think teams have been playing him harder and being more physical on him and I think he’s been able to still find space to score goals," he said. "Even when he’s checked tightly, he’s still finding ways to get shots off."
DeBrincat isn’t the only one in Erie making history. The Otters (43-10-3) are just seven wins shy of reaching the 50-win mark for a CHL-record fourth consecutive season with 12 games remaining.
Knoblauch’s team is also riding a franchise-best 14-game win streak.
"I think it’d be a nice accomplishment, but I think everyone wants to accomplish something in May," Knoblauch said.
Regular-season success hasn’t translated in the post-season for the Otters. In the past three seasons, the Otters have got to the OHL final just once (2014-15).
Connor Brown, now with the Maple Leafs, understands the playoff disappointment. In his third season with the Otters (2013-14), Erie lost in five games of the conference finals to Guelph.
"Playoffs are a different animal. A lot of it is who is hot at what time," Brown said. "A lot of it comes down to who is scoring, how your goalie is and how your defence is playing on any given night.
"I’m hoping things click for them this year."
Last season, the Knights swept the Otters in the Western Conference final. This season, Erie has owned London in regular season play winning three of four meetings while outscoring the Knights 17-5.
The Erie-London rivalry has even made its way into the Leafs’ room. Brown and Knights alumni Mitch Marner and Nazem Kadri often share friendly jabs whenever the OHL clubs meet.
"I chirp ’em a bit. We do it without paying our guys is what I always chirp ’em about – like the old saying goes," Brown joked. "I always tell ’em its nice to have actually guys you draft, not guys you just pick out of a program."
The Otters and Knights meet twice more next month. Erie currently leads London by six points in the Midwest Division standings. Knoblauch knows the final two meetings will be much tougher than the previous four.
"Dale (Hunter) always has his teams playing very well at the end of the season, playoff time," he said. "The team we beat in February isn’t going to be the same team we meet in April."
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