Alex DeBrincat recorded his 600th NHL point in his 700th game during the Detroit Red Wings‘ 6-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Friday.
That made DeBrincat just the ninth Michigan-born player to reach the 600-point milestone and one of just three active players. One of those players is Red Wings center and ex-captain Dylan Larkin, who has 645 points in 811 games.
Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor leads the pack with 682 points. Given the pace he’s on, Connor could surpass 700 points this season. Coincidentally, Connor played in his 700th career game on Friday night in a 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Connor finished that contest with a goal, which helped the Jets avoid the shutout.
Alex DeBrincat Can Start Clawing His Way Up The Rankings
DeBrincat’s first crack at surpassing the 600-point mark came on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens. Instead, a double shutout that ended in a shootout loss for the Red Wings denied DeBrincat a chance to score Point No. 601.
Still, the question now is: How far up the rankings will DeBrincat go in 2026-27? He is closing in on the eighth-ranked David Legwand, who had 618 points in 1,136 appearances. Should DeBrincat stay healthy and keep up his point-per-game production this season, he will have no problem surpassing Legwand.
Dylan Larkin is No. 7 on the list and No. 2 among active players. That said, Larkin will likely stay ahead of DeBrincat in the foreseeable future. But DeBrincat has an outside chance to pass Kevin Hatcher, who has 677 points. This is where his point-per-game pace will stay important as the season drags on. DeBrincat has 79 games, again assuming he avoids injury, to pass Hatcher.
Larkin, meanwhile, is on pace to pass Hatcher and to start pursuing Mark Howe, who has 742 points. Howe also holds the record for most points from a Michigan-born defenseman in NHL history.
Points Aren’t The Only Milestone DeBrincat Is Chasing
DeBrincat is four goals away from 300, which will make him the fourth Michigan-born player to hit the milestone. Connor became the third player to get there last season, and he is ahead of DeBrincat with 329 goals.
Brian Rolston is second on the list with 342 goals, meaning Connor has a good chance to pass him this season. DeBrincat has an outside chance to get there. And finally, the great Mike Modano tops the list with 561 goals.
Modano also leads all Michigan-born NHL players with 1,374 points, and is one of just two players to hit four figures. The other is Doug Weight, who has 1,033 points.
Goals have been tough to come by for the Detroit Red Wings this season. But despite their bleak start offensively, DeBrincat has maintained his point-per-game pace early. Considering his rise in the rankings among Michigan-born players in points and goals, his run will be worth watching this season.
The same goes for Dylan Larkin and Kyle Connor, despite the uncertainty surrounding Larkin and Connor playing in Winnipeg. DeBrincat and Larkin will get a chance to add to their respective point totals on Oct. 13, when the Red Wings host the New Jersey Devils.
Alex DeBrincat Closing In on Another Michigan-Born NHL Milestone