Chicago Blackhawks ink Kirby Dach to entry level deal

The Chicago Blackhawks made the third overall selection in the 2019 NHL draft and their selection is now signed to his first NHL contract.

The Chicago Blackhawks were fortunate to win the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft at the NHL draft lottery. This is a team that still has most of its Stanley Cup winning core but its surrounding cast hasn’t been able to get it done in years past but things appear to be on the rise once again.

The Blackhawks selected Saskatoon Blades center Kirby Dach with the pick and although he isn’t who some fans or scouts wanted to see Chicago take, he is a really good young prospect and has the ceiling of a number one center in the NHL. On Monday the team announced that they signed him to a three year deal that will run through the 2021-22 season. The deal has a $925, 000 cap hit as his annual average value.

This is really good news for the Blackhawks organization because it is important to have all of your draft picks come along, especially ones as highly touted as Dach is. In 2018-19 he had 25 goals and 48 assists for 73 points in 62 games for the Blades. He also showed what he can do in a playoff atmosphere as his five goals and three assists for eight points helped Saskatoon reach the Western Hockey League semi-finals. These are good numbers for a young player in the WHL and the Blackhawks hope to see him along to success in the NHL.

Dach is a big 18 year old center at 6-foot-four and 198 ponds. He s a native of St. Albert, Alberta and has represented Canada at multiple different events including the World Junior Championships. This is just the kind of big center that could come into the NHL and make an impact. It is not guarantee that he will be in the NHL in year one and most people are indifferent on whether or not he should be, but getting him locked in certainly wont hurt his case.

Look for Kirby Dach to have a good summer and be ready to make a name for himself in training camp and the preseason. It is good to see the Hawks have some good young forwards in the mix as they have been such a veteran team for a long time now.