Should the Blackhawks Draft Colton Dach in the Second Round?

Colton Dach is the younger brother of  Blackhawks’ young star, Kirby Dach, and they share many of the same traits such as their 6’4″, 200 lbs frame.

The Blackhawks hold two picks in the second round: pick 43 is secured, but the pick from Vegas is up in the air. If the Vegas Golden Knights make the semifinals in the Stanley Cup playoffs, their second round pick could be further back than 57, where they are placed right now.

Colton Dach is rated between picks 52 and 100, so there’s a gigantic disparity, even more then Mason McTavish who is rated, logically, between picks 10 and 32. He’s rated as high as 5th, but I highly doubt he’ll be picked that high. As for Colton Dach, some scouts are slow to realize this, but his development is shocking and he could be a steal for the Blackhawks with the Vegas pick.

Here’s why.

The scouting report on him is that he has a strong offensive game, like his brother, with a bite as well. He can play the wing and at center so he’s another versatile guy for the Blackhawks to consider. He can dominate with puck possession or he can set up plays with his puck handling. He has amazing hockey sense and can be an impactful player either as an option for an SOG as he has an incredible shot, or a net-front presence, whether it be on the powerplay or even strength.

Personally, I feel like Colton Dach’s potential is too much to overlook. At the start of the season, he was a fifth or even a sixth-round draft selection. Now? He’s rated to be picked somewhere between the second and third round. He scored 11 goals in 20 games, and he’s expected to score about 40-50 goals next season with a full schedule. With a goal-per-game percentage of 0.55, he was on track for 37 goals. 40 goals next season may not be too farfetched for him.

He is another player the Blackhawks could add to their roster as a physical, big forward who could be an offensive threat. He could be a Barclay Goodrow-type of player: a big, physical forward who can play in all situations and make an impact. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him drop the gloves a few times during the season as well, should he make the team.

The negatives? He needs to work on speed, like McTavish. As soon as he improves his speed, he’ll be a massive issue for the opposition. As the WHL had a 24 game season this year, his potential is still quite murky as he was not able to play enough games to prove his worth. Drafting him could be a huge risk, but it could also be a pick that comes with a massive reward.

Could be.

To conclude, as the Blackhawks do not have a third-round pick this year, they could look to risk their last second-round selection on Dach. As Kirby Dach is blossoming into a potential superstar, he could propel Colton’s development as sibling rivalries know no end.

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Playing with players like Patrick Kane and Alex Debrincat could help him improve his control of the game as well. Playing with one of the best player-coached teams in the league, and the potential to have a mentor in Jonathan Toews, can only work wonders for him. I think he could develop into a great swiss-army-knife type of player: Master of none, good all-around. As he works on his speed, he should become that much more impactful for the team.