Chicago Blackhawks: Kirby Dach Assigned to Rockford

The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned Kirby Dach to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. He will make his debut tonight.

Kirby Dach’s debut will surely be exciting for Chicago Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs fans alike, and also for him. I’m sure he’s been dying to get back on the ice, even if it is with Rockford instead of Chicago. Let’s take a closer look as to what has been holding up Dach’s professional debut.

Earlier today, the Blackhawks officially assigned their 2019 first-round draft pick, Kirby Dach, to their American Hockey League affiliate, Rockford IceHogs, for a conditioning stint.  The third overall pick has been out of hockey conditioning since September 13, during the 2019 Traverse City Prospect Tournament, where he crashed into the boards and suffered a concussion.

Concussion Protocol

Whenever a player is concussed, the time table for return is never set in stone. This has been the case with Kirby Dach. Chicago Blackhawks’ GM, Stan Bowman, spoke about Dach and his concussion recently.

"“When you have a concussion, the timing on those we don’t really know,” Bowman said. “It could be short, it could be a day or two, it could be longer. We don’t know on that, so that’s why we don’t put a timeline on it. It’s too bad. Obviously, I thought he played well there [in Traverse City] a couple games. But this is part of it and we don’t need to make any determinations today. It’s the first day of camp, so we’ll just let that play out.”"

Dach was officially placed on the injured/non-roster designation list before the Blackhawks’ October 4th season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers in Prague.

Conditioning Loan

"A player on a conditioning stint still gets paid their NHL salary, gets all the normal NHL team benefits, and counts against the NHL team’s capSo it’s not a traditional or “full” assignment and thus doesn’t break any rules related to the NHL-CHL agreement."

By L_B_R on 10.12.19 2:46pm

I am glad that Dach can get into game shape at the AHL level before playing in the NHL. The IceHogs will also benefit from having the talented young prospect take the ice, and of course, the extra revenue won’t hurt.  In addition, the Chicago Blackhawks benefit because now Kirby can get into game shape without the added pressure of playing in the NHL. Kirby Dach’s debut will actually be tonight, so be on the watch for that! You won’t want to miss it.

In conclusion, Kirby Dach spending time with the IceHogs is a good thing.  It allows the youngster to shake off the rust and get his legs back, after not playing hockey for three to four weeks. Dach will be playing for the Chicago Blackhawks soon enough, so there’s no need to rush him back. His health should be the number one priority at this time.