As the 2017-18 season approaches its half-way mark, there are some fresh faces that have started to make a serious impact on the ice – and in trading card shops. One of those young talents is Alex DeBrincat of the Chicago Blackhawks and he has been on the radar of savvy card collectors for quite a while thanks to his wizardry with the puck.

• DeBrincat made his NHL debut against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on October 5, assisting on Patrick Sharp’s first period goal that helped pave the way to a surprising 10-1 victory.

• Five days later, DeBrincat scored his first professional goal against Montreal Canadiens star Carey Price at the 17:53 mark of the first period. A little over half-way through the next stanza, he also added an assist on Artem Anisimov’s insurance goal to secure what ultimately became a 3-1 victory.

• The month of November saw Debrincat truly begin to break out just as his first NHL trading cards were reaching store shelves. On November 11, he scored twice on former Chicago goalie Scott Darling as the Blackhawks came from behind to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. On top of that, he also got the primary assist on Brandon Saad’s overtime winner. This performance also kicked off a four-game point streak.

• On November 27, DeBrincat made headlines as he notched his first career hat trick and added an assist as the Blackhawks trounced the Anaheim Ducks 7-3. The third goal of his night was also his first on the power play and gave him 10 tallies for the year at that point. He also became the second-youngest player in franchise history to earn a hat trick. That accolade earned Alex an Upper Deck Game Dated Moments card!

• Or should it be called a “Cat Trick?” He became the second Blackhawks rookie to score a hat trick twice in a season on January 25 in a 5-1 drubbing of the Detroit Red Wings while in front of family and friends. The only other Blackhawks freshman to accomplish this feat was Steve Larmer back in 1982-83, but it should also be noted that he is one of just five American-born players to do this as well.

• At the All-Star break, the Blackhawks have had their fair share of struggles as a team, but DeBrincat has proven to be a fantastic addition to the roster. His 32 points put him third on the team in scoring behind Patrick Kane – who won the Calder Trophy back in 2007-08 – and Nick Schmaltz. He also ranks fifth in points among NHL freshmen.

• Despite a fantastic junior career with the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters where he was often found on a line with talents like Connor McDavid and Ryan Strome, DeBrincat still did not get the respect he rightly deserved due to some concerns about his size. In his first OHL season (2014-15), he was named both the OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year after scoring 51 goals and 104 points.

• As a sophomore with the Otters in 2015-16, DeBrincat did not miss a beat even as McDavid moved up to the NHL level. He filled the net 51 times once again and reached the 100-point plateau for the second straight year. On top of that, he helped the United States win a bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship. However, that was not enough to convince pro teams to take him in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and Chicago was able to snag him in the second round with the 39^th overall selection.

• While some fans were impressed by his showing at his first pro training camp, the Blackhawks sent him down to Erie for a final junior season in 2016-17. Going back to the Otters seemed to be the perfect motivator for DeBrincat as he led the OHL with 65 goals and 127 points during the regular season on the way to also winning the Red Tilson Trophy as the loop’s Most Outstanding Player.

• A native of Farmington Hills, Michigan, DeBrincat grew up collecting hockey cards. “Yeah, I did,” he revealed in an interview at the 2017 NHLPA Rookie Showcase. “For Christmas, we still get hockey cards in our stockings. Me and my brother (Andrew, who presently plays for American International College), we used to collect them a lot. My Dad’s a big collector, too.”

• When asked about the possibility of getting his first NHL cards, DeBrincat seemed hopeful. “It would be really cool to see something like that,” he said. “It’s definitely a dream come true. You collect them growing up and you get certain guys and it’s really cool to be able to be a part of that.”

• At the time he spoke with Upper Deck, he was quite optimistic about the coming season and understood what he needed to do in order to stick with the Blackhawks. “I think it’s kind of up to me. If I play well and make them need to have me, I think it’s kind of in my court. There’s a few openings, but it’s definitely a tough lineup to crack. That’s the goal, to make the team, but if not, I’ll just try to develop more and work to get there.”

• Like a lot of young players growing up in Michigan, DeBrincat idolized some members of the Detroit Red Wings. “I really liked (Steve) Yzerman when I was young. Once he retired, I was a big (Pavel) Datsyuk fan. Both of them were pretty incredible to watch.”

The first cards of DeBrincat in his Blackhawks jersey arrived in packs of 2017-18 NHL® Upper Deck Series One and both his traditional and UD Canvas Young Guns cards are hot commodities with fans in Chicago and beyond.

DeBrincat’s UD Exclusives Young Guns card is numbered to 100 and this rare High Gloss card is limited to just 10 copies and commands hundreds of dollars in the secondary market.

For those looking for an autograph from this young star, be sure to crack open boxes of 2017-18 NHL® Black Diamond as he is part of the Silver on Black Rookie Signatures collection.

Exquisite card packs are found as a bonus in Black Diamond and contain sweet cards like this!

Exchange cards will soon be available for DeBrincat from early season rookie exchange cards from products like MVP and Artifacts.

There is also some DeBrincat ink to be found in the Walmart-exclusive 2017-18 NHL® Parkhurst release as part of the Prominent Prospects Autographs set.

New releases like Trilogy and SP Game-Used releases have added a variety of exciting new DeBrincat cards!

As the season progresses, there will be plenty of opportunities to track down more DeBrincat cards in hockey brands like SPx, Upper Deck Series Two, ICE, SP Authentic and more!

Stephen Laroche has been actively involved in the hockey collectibles industry in a variety of roles for nearly 20 years. In the past, he has been a writer and editor with Beckett Media and SLAM! Collectibles in addition to working as a trading card company executive and consultant. He is available for freelance work and can be contacted at [email protected].