Breaking Down Dach’s Numbers After One Year With The Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Kirby Dach with the third overall pick in 2019. While it was a little controversial at the time, it has slowly become the best decision the organization could have made.

When it comes to rookie seasons, Kirby Dach had an impressive showing with the Chicago Blackhawks. While Dach did not lead Chicago in any particular category, he did put up 8 goals and 15 assists through 64 games with the ‘Hawks.

Dach has many different things to work on during the offseason to take the next step forward in his development. But when looking back on the season he just had, there are many positives to acknowledge.

The Regular Season:

It only took Dach till October 22, 2019, to score his first NHL goal. The goal came against the Vegas Golden Knights, the same team against Chicago when Dach scored his first playoff goal.

Check out the highlight of Dach’s first NHL goal, and you get a little indication of the type of player he is. Chicago hasn’t had the big centermen willing to get near the crease and fight for goals, but Dach gives the team that style.

Three of Dach’s goals this past season came in the first period, two were in the second, and three more were in the third period of different games. When looking at Dach’s goals this season, I was hoping to see one player stand out as someone who assisted a lot on Dach’s goals, but that was not the case.

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Andrew Shaw, Ryan Carpenter, Dominik Kubalik, Zack Smith, and Alex DeBrincat all were the primary assist on Dach’s goals this past season once. The list also includes a few players not on the ‘Hawks anymore, but we can ignore them due to them no longer being with the team.

I was pretty shocked to see that Patrick Kane hadn’t assisted on any of Dach’s goals this past season. While the two did not play together a lot last year, it is Patrick Kane we are talking about.

Dach was the primary assist six times last season. Three of the primary assists were for Dominik Kubalik, not surprising as Kubalik did put up 30 goals last season. The other three assists were for DeBrincat Kampf and Kane throughout different points of the season.

Dach also showed his skill as a power forward last season with his ability to create separation from opponents and make some great moves rushing up ice. Dach put up these numbers while only averaging 14:16 minutes of ice time per game during the regular season. That number would go up dramatically during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Playoff Run:

The young Blackhawks roster’s experience from this playoff run is second to none, and that is true for Kirby Dach as well. In nine games, Dach scored one goal and had five assists for the Chicago Blackhawks. His ice time also jumped to 19:24 minutes per game on average.

Dach gained some more power-play experience during the postseason, and his run includes two power-play assists against Edmonton. However, it is his first playoff goal that will always be memorable.

During the playoffs, Dach’s time was a great learning experience for the young player and allowed the team to judge where he was at in his development. He blocked nine shots, registered five takeaways, and put up 13 hits for the team.

Next season should be another step forward for Kirby Dach. Hopefully, it will include more time with players like Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. Chicago will need all of their top guys at their best if they want to play some competitive hockey, and Dach is one of those guys.