I'm not old enough to pretend I saw a lot of it and obviously this pairing is just in its infancy (as is McIlrath's NHL career itself) so I'd be curious what someone that is old enough would think, but Yandle-McIlrath same sort of concept as Leetch-Beukeboom or am I way off base?
Leetch was a Hall of Famer who once did scored over 100 points, so he's better than Yandle. Beukeboom is similar to Mcilrath, but Dylan has more upside because he skates, shoots and fights better. If Dylan's brain catches up to Beukeboom's, he'll be a better player.
Mcilrath was coached by Beukeboom for 2.5 seasons in Hartford where he's the assistant coach responsible for defense. Right now at the NHL level, Ulf Samuelsson does that job and Ulfie was also a very tough defensive defenseman, though a different type than Beukeboom (more cheap stuff than fighting).
Learning for years under Beukeboom and Ulfie is excellent training for Dylan. He may not even realize how perfect this scenario is for him. Here are guys who both became first pair big defensemen who know what he needs to do from personal experience.