Blackhawks News: Colton Dach is ready for his pro career

The Chicago Blackhawks are in a developmental year. They have prospects all over the organization that they want to make sure are in a position to succeed. Of course, Connor Bedard succeeding at the NHL level is their biggest concern but there are plenty more.

One of them is Colton Dach. He was their second-round selection (61st overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft. He is the younger brother of former Chicago Blackhawks third overall pick Kirby Dach who is now a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

The younger Dach was in the WHL last season where he was really good. He started the season with the Kelowna Rockets but was traded to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Of course, his fellow Blackhawks prospects Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allan were also on that team.

The three of them also played big roles in helping the Thunderbirds win the WHL championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup. The three of them, along with Connor Bedard, were part of the Gold Medal winning Team Canada squad at the World Juniors. It was a very successful year.

The Chicago Blackhawks are sending Colton Dach to the Rockford Ice Hogs.

Dach suffered an ankle injury during the preseason and he hasn’t been back since. Now, he has been activated off of injured/non roster designation and assigned to the Rockford Ice Hogs. He is set to finally begin his pro career which he absolutely deserves.

The Ice Hogs have done a good job getting guys ready for the NHL in the past and it would be cool to see Dach next in line for that. We’ll see if he is able to make his NHL debut at some point this season after a stint with the Ice Hogs.

It might be good to get going in the AHL first too. This Blackhawks team isn’t all that good and there could be more value for a prospect like Dach to get in the minors first. Once he starts going offensively in that league, it could be time to bring him up to see what he’s got at this level.

Dach was drafted in the second round for a reason. He is a great player with a high ceiling. It is on the Hawks to make sure he gets there. This is a good start.