Chicago Blackhawks: Kirby Dach’s up and down season so far

The Chicago Blackhawks have seen their top prospect Kirqby Dach step into the NHL and stick. He has had an up and down season but the future is bright.

The Chicago Blackhawks struck gold in 2019 when they moved up 12 spots in the NHL Draft Lottery. They were in the playoff race for the most part in 2018-19 but fell short and then won the third draft lottery spot. They selected Kirby Dach with the third pick. Out of all of the great centers available to them and the big defenseman Bowen Byram, they decided to roll with Dach.

Dach was impressive in training camp and he made the team. Then after making the team, he was good enough in his first nine games which forced the Blackhawks to burn the first year of his entry-level contract. Since then, you can say it has been an up and down season. That is what everyone should expect from teenagers that are lucky enough to be in the National Hockey League.

When Dach was drafted, and even now, a good comparison for him is Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks. Getzlaf should be a familiar name to Chicago Blackhawks fans as the Hawks and Ducks have had some amazing duels over the recent years. One of those included an epic seven-game series in the Western Conference Finals.

It might not seem fair to compare Dach to a Stanley Cup Champion that has 965 points in 1053 games played. However, it is his size and skill set that earns Dach that type of comparison. If Dach goes on to have that borderline Hall of Fame career then the Blackhawks would be thrilled. Dach is a big boy that is only going to get better as time goes on.

Dach had an up and down year leading up to the NHL’s pause. He has eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points. Those are good numbers for an 18-year-old that had limited ice time in his rookie year. Once he fills out a little bit more he should take over for Jonathan Toews as the team’s number once center someday. This was a good year for Kirby Dach as he was afforded the opportunity to learn in the NHL instead of being sent back to the Saskatoon Blades for another season.

If the pause ends and the league is afforded the opportunity to finish the year, Dach will get more opportunity to grow on the ice. If not, he will be able to go train hard over the summer for the 2020-21 campaign.