McLellan Wishes Red Wings DeBrincat Would Rub Off on Teammates

If Alex DeBrincat was your child, you might be a bit concerned by one of the methods through which the Detroit Red Wings forward earns his living.

“He plays in traffic,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said of the dimuntive forward.

On the street, that’s a recipe for tragedy. Between the boards of a hockey rink, it’s considered to be among the most admirable of traits.

McLellan didn’t shy away from calling out some of his players for their poor performances in Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

At the same time, he was giving kudos to the few, the proud, the ones who actually showed up and delivered an effort. Among that group was right-winger DeBrincat.

#27 for Alex DeBrincat. pic.twitter.com/rgMTzQANk3

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 28, 2025

The second-season Red Wings forward scored the game’s opening goal. It was his 27th tally of the season. That equals DeBrincat’s output from his inaugural Detroit campaign.

However, that wasn’t the portion of DeBrincat’s work that McLellan admires the most.

Red Wings Coach Admires DeBrincat’s Tenacity

It’s the willingness of DeBrincat to get physically involved, his tenacity in pursuit of the puck, that enables the player to stand out in his coach’s mind.

“If you could take him and rub him against a few of our other guys, we’d have a real good chance,” McLellan said. “You guys watch how competitive he is on every puck in every situation.”

Make that eight straight games with a point for @DetroitRedWings forward Alex DeBrincat ahead of the 2025 #StadiumSeries – tied for the longest by any player entering an NHL outdoor game. #NHLStats: https://t.co/QYrPxMAvBA pic.twitter.com/pGzCRFYGCK

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 28, 2025

Even at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, DeBrincat steps away from no challenge. It was his thunderous bodycheck on Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber that wound up touching off a melee in Saturday’s Wild vs Red Wings game.

There’s nothing he backs down from,” McLellan said. “And that’s a good thing because that’s how he plays.”

That level of determinition translates into DeBrincat’s offensive game. Rarely does a game go by where he doesn’t create at minimum at least one Grade A scoring chance.

“He’s physical on offense, which means when he’s got the puck,” McLellan said. “Plus, he’s hard to knock off and he goes to dirty areas to score.

“He’s not somebody I’m at all concerned about.”