With the 3rd Pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks Have Selected Kirby Dach From the Saskatoon Blades
About Kirby Dach
A big-bodied, right-shot center who is the textbook jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none, Dach has what it takes to be a top-tier player at the NHL level. At 6 foot 4 and 198 pounds, he certainly has the size to make waves at the next level if he can work on his face-offs and add some extra mass to his large frame.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
“The 2019 NHL Draft class is highlighted by Jack Hughes, Kaapo Kakko and Bowen Byram at the top end, but they’re followed by several interesting forward options. Saskatoon Blades forward Kirby Dach is one of a handful of players that are vying for the fourth overall slot.
Dach has a lot of attributes that make scouts excited about his professional prospects. He’s a big-bodied right shot centre, something that’s akin to finding a unicorn in the modern game. He arguably doesn’t have any elite-level attributes aside from perhaps his hockey sense, but he’s strong in virtually every area and doesn’t have any hole in his game. He’s a pretty complete player at a very young age.
Related: Our Free NHL Draft Guide
Compared to some of the other high-end forwards available in the first round, Dach’s offensive numbers are strong but not amazing – he finished 30th in the Western Hockey League in overall scoring and was third among his age group in even strength scoring, trailing Lethbridge’s Dylan Cozens and Moose Jaw’s Brayden Tracey. The impressive thing about Dach is that he was able to consistently produce on a fairly shallow Saskatoon squad – he had to carry the mail in every game situation and found a way to perform at a high level without a ton of help.
Dach’s game might not be as sexy as Cozens or Peyton Krebs. While he has a pretty high developmental floor, he might not have the same dazzlingly high offensive ceilings as those other players. But he’s a composed, balanced, highly-intelligent 200-foot hockey player. At the very least, he seems like a safe bet to become a strong two-way NHL pivot – and if he can add some dynamism to his offense, perhaps he could be even more.”
Full player profile can be found here
How This Affects the Blackhawks Plans
The Chicago Blackhawks have fallen from grace and tried to turn things around during the 2018-19 season. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned and the team’s future still remains uncertain. Some good news for the team, though, is that Jonathan Toews had a rebound-season, Patrick Kane still dominated offensively and Alex DeBrincat has proven that size isn’t everything and that he can excel at the NHL level.
Getting Dach to join their team only bolsters the thought that they can turn things around on the fly depending on how fast he can make the jump to the NHL. It’s doubtful that he makes the jump to the NHL this season, but weirder things have happened in the NHL.