The Athletic’s Pronman on Dach:

Chicago Blackhawks: Kirby Dach, C, Saskatoon-WHL
Jan. 21, 2001 | 6-foot-4 | 198 pounds

When you think of what teams are looking for in a No. 1 center, it looks a lot like Dach. He’s a right-shot centerman who measures in around 6-foot-4, with a lot of skill and offensive IQ, and plays heavy minutes. He makes high-end plays to his teammates and through defenders with consistency. His vision particularly stands out. He has great patience, finds guys in traffic and makes tough passes when you least expect it. He’s a prototypical power play QB and plays a 5-foot-10 skill game in a big man’s body. Dach showed that he can play all situations. He’s not the most physical big man, but he’s reliable defensively and often played more than 20 minutes a night for Saskatoon in tough matchups. At the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he showed he could be a net-front guy on the power play. Dach has good speed. His feet don’t match his skill and his first step could be a bit better, but overall he’s the total package and a player who projects to be a front-line center in the NHL. His consistency is the only issue I have. With his toolkit, he should have dominated the WHL, but he only did that in stretches with a midseason lull, though he ended his season strong.

Saskatoon Blades coach Mitch Love on Dach: “He’s a student of the game. He’s got a very high hockey IQ. His playmaking ability is second to none. There aren’t many 6-foot-4, 200-pound, 17-year-old players who can play center the way he can.”

Team Fit: Dach on a pure tools level is above, if not clearly above, both Alex Turcotte and Bowen Byram. I would have had some hesitation doing that pick at No. 3 given his production last season and alternative options, but if Chicago believes he will become the sum of his parts, he is absolutely worthy of this pick. This isn’t the first time an incredibly talented forward has gone high without great production. It reminds me of the Ryan Johansen and Mark Scheifele picks, which both worked out, although their circumstances were a bit different, with Johansen going through a growth spurt and Scheifele being a first-year player in the OHL. Dach becomes the best forward prospect in the Chicago system by a wide, wide margin and the best prospect overall in the system. If the team did its homework and wasn’t scared off by his midseason slump, 6-foot-4 centers with his skill, vision and skating are rare to find, and he has the potential to become a star in the NHL
- Marlowe

You gotta love the Corey Pronman back pedal after he had the kid at number ten...

Speaking of taxes, capfriendly has a feature showing the combined federal and state tax rates for all the franchises.

Go to cap friendly, then calculators , then post tax earnings.

Nope. That's why we're talking taxes.
- boilermaker100

taxes follow stan's cap management strategy of cost certainty, they always go up

You gotta love the Corey Pronman back pedal after he had the kid at number ten...
- wiz1901

Hey wiz, how do rate the Hawks overall draft? Any sleepers among the later round picks?

You gotta love the Corey Pronman back pedal after he had the kid at number ten...
- wiz1901

I have no respect for him.

That's why I moved out of Illinois at the first of the year.
- gramps

I’m preparing to live 183 days a year elsewhere.

Hawks should consider taking on Clarkson's contract and get a 1st/2nd in next years draft + prospect

I was really just talking about today's back reading.
- Elbows15

So was I.

I’ll go out on a limb and say Vlasic has a better career than Byram.
- Ogilthorpe2

Well, one thing for certain, Alex Vlasic is not going to be lost up-ice right after the puck goes in transition, or unable to be in the middle zone because he is generating.

He is a nimble big man, and the wingspan and always is playing responsibly.

Bryam will get a job, but just think about what happens when this marquee high draft guys cannot play in their end...the guys who are good handlers, like Jordan Oesterle, get time trying to be more than 3rd pair guys, getting opportunities in higher pairs, but ultimately losing them b/c the have issues with diagnosing coverage and handling the defensive side.

Time to bring in the luxury tax like baseball. I dont think it's fair when a fan pays $200 a seat to sit at the glass but a low market team has a fan sitting at the glass for $100. The higher market teams lose players to the lower market teams because of the salary cap and the fans are paying double to watch there team play.
- scott.jackson

The sport was built by the players being knowns and endeared and fixtures when I started watching.

It would be better IF teams who win, can continue to stay together and win again, even if it meqns each year there being a penalty that the team eventually gets paid back.

I really don't like that baseball has so much moving around, I just wish there was a balance that satisfied and equalize each city...

Hawks should consider taking on Clarkson's contract and get a 1st/2nd in next years draft + prospect
- arps714

This isn't really Bowman's style. He has a lot of go-to gm's, it seems, when it comes to trades. People he's worked with before & avenues he's always had open. I'm sure he has tons of discussions that we don't know much about. He's not someone to fleece or burn bridges & I'm fine with that. As far as taking cap dumps, Marleau paves the way at the moment & a late first round pick is kind of crappy in my book. I'd rather not eat up cap space if that is the return. Let's spend some money that will actually be productive to this season.

While I didn't make to the draft a co-worker's cousin went and I asked them to take some pictures when the Hawks made their selection.

Hawks should consider taking on Clarkson's contract and get a 1st/2nd in next years draft + prospect
- arps714

I doubt they would get that much, look at what the Hawks gave up for Arizona to take Hossa's contract and he had multiple years left. I don't see the Hawks doing this, if they want to spend for just one year they'll trade for somebody who can actually play.

Hey wiz, how do rate the Hawks overall draft? Any sleepers among the later round picks?
- boilermaker100

The two first picks are REALLY strong candidates to be impact NHLers, one as a top player and the other on the lower shutdown level.

All the rest are developmental guys but ones I like two years ago,in Teply' and Saarela and the goalie is a project and the defender Cole Moberg was a guy who was with a terrible junior team with all these negative things happening around him. He wasn't in anyway good, dynamic or dominant, but the tools are there for growth.


JJ asked me to expound on a podcast soon....
and gonna give L B R a shout out for the stats she found...

This isn't really Bowman's style. He has a lot of go-to gm's, it seems, when it comes to trades. People he's worked with before & avenues he's always had open. I'm sure he has tons of discussions that we don't know much about. He's not someone to fleece or burn bridges & I'm fine with that. As far as taking cap dumps, Marleau paves the way at the moment & a late first round pick is kind of crappy in my book. I'd rather not eat up cap space if that is the return. Let's spend some money that will actually be productive to this season.
- I Am The Breadman

Agreed. If the Hawks were in window-shut-tear-it-down-rebuild mode, then taking on a bad contract for picks would make more sense. I can only suppose that CAR is going to expect Marleau to play, because I don’t know if there is much benefit to buying him out. Marleau has no leverage in this matter.

I’m preparing to live 183 days a year elsewhere.
- Ogilthorpe2

The Free Republic of Ogilthorpe.

Shouldn't take long for that number to drop, likely right after the change to the illinois constitution is approved to allow for multiple tax rates based on income. levels.
- bhawk1s

You may be right, we'll see

Hawks should consider taking on Clarkson's contract and get a 1st/2nd in next years draft + prospect
- arps714

I would definetely do that.

My objective would be to try to draft as early first round as possible. The way this team improves the most comes when the top tier first round selections can impact - which may be their first but more likely their second NHL season and beyond.

We do not know where our pick number is for 2020 or if we even will be in the draft lottery. But if the pick is not real early, i woukd try like heck to package our own plus the #1 from Clarkson trade. Those may not be the most attractive #1 picks even if the 2020 draft is a descent one.

This is the moment you have waited for particularly if some of our dman prospects have progressed. With expansion it is time to move on from the past. Keith has to go if he is tradeable. He can veto trades so there is that.

Seabrook is at best a depth dman or maybe a 6th situational. He hopes to hang.on like Rozival did because no one is taking his contract.

So here you have Gus who just maybe surprised and had a very strong season. Sign him then trade him WITH ONE OR BOTH FIRST 2020 just to get a first tier round one 2020 prospect. Go with best player available but if it is a close call then do not rule out team need which MAY be forward again. If it is a scorer line one wing where your biggest upgrade is desired. Would love to see a Podzilinsk or Zegrass type in 2020 draft. Even a Boldy type.

You are not going to ever bring in more than three rookies on defense in one season. You probably are not doing four but maybe more like two into three seasons four rookies could debut on defense.

You might give Boqvist a look but i suggest he plays London juniors then at minimum half season Rockford. See how well he has learned and is able to.play defense. You have Carlsson whom is probably going to force his way onto roster. And the toughness from Gilbert may factor in to his getting time in at NHL.

Jokiharju, Mitchell are going to get big minutes. Jokiharju first breaks in next season and in his year two full season he is playing a lot. Mitchell can grow into big minutes too. His role of playing a controlled defensively and not all out offense as a collegiate actually will have.served him well as he transitions to NHL.

Now then comes Beaudin. Won't need much time before he is NHL ready. Kid knows how to play defense and makes good reads. The thing here is that Beaudin is not a big size dude and so you have to look whom is fitting in on a second or third pair whom is able to handle the big forwards and is willing + able.to play physical hockey.

I mean you have great compete very good skater good all around in Carlsson but whom is remaining on the blueline corps that handles the toughness role. Not Seabrook. He is more just depth. Maybe not Gilbert ready for that role.

I might get a lot of heat on the following, but let us just see if Koekkoek and or Dahlstrom have enough willingness to give occassional big hits and they can play in that third pair. Both have shown flashes so they can make or break their career as a Blackhawk next.season by becoming more consistent and occassionally laying that hit. I like Koekkoek edginess he flashes and Dahlstrom able to effectively use his big frame to be.effective defensively.

We do have Maata. Right. For one season. Then comes expansion. He may be left available and he may or may not be snatched up. Just a matter of time before Murphy is gone.

In the final analysis i really do not want more dman prospects drafted. Allow the guys we have to develop. You may later trade one or more of them. Try to get a tier one draft position and draft well.

Anyone else see the Verdi propaganda article that quotes Bowman and Kelley as saying that Dach has the potential to be better than Hughes and Kakko? They are building some lofty expectations for the kid. Let's hope they're vindicated.

https://www.nhl.com/black...ice-for-weeks/c-307984148

Anyone else see the Verdi propaganda article that quotes Bowman and Kelley as saying that Dach has the potential to be better than Hughes and Kakko? They are building some lofty expectations for the kid. Let's hope they're vindicated.

https://www.nhl.com/black...ice-for-weeks/c-307984148
- gmurban

Give someone an opportunity to succeed and let them make the most of it. There are plenty of examples in sports where a player drafted later exceeded those picked earlier.

Anyone else see the Verdi propaganda article that quotes Bowman and Kelley as saying that Dach has the potential to be better than Hughes and Kakko? They are building some lofty expectations for the kid. Let's hope they're vindicated.

https://www.nhl.com/black...ice-for-weeks/c-307984148
- gmurban

bob Verdi the old beat writer? And he is really must be older now in 2019. Like emeritus and retired. Tell you what Tyler.....growing up as a kid aspiring to be a team beat writer this Verdi sure knew how to write hockey language. He could be colorful and toss in some fancy words but you sure liked reading him.

Anyone else see the Verdi propaganda article that quotes Bowman and Kelley as saying that Dach has the potential to be better than Hughes and Kakko? They are building some lofty expectations for the kid. Let's hope they're vindicated.

https://www.nhl.com/black...ice-for-weeks/c-307984148
- gmurban

2017 draft Miro Heiskanen was picked 3rd and I’d take him over Nolan Patrick (2nd) and/or Nico Hischier (1st)

2017 draft Miro Heiskanen was picked 3rd and I’d take him over Nolan Patrick (2nd) and/or Nico Hischier (1st)
- EnzoD

Of course. And who wouldn't take Toews over Johnson and Staal in a redo of 2006? I'm just observing that theyre really pumping this kid's tires, for better or worse.

This isn't really Bowman's style. He has a lot of go-to gm's, it seems, when it comes to trades. People he's worked with before & avenues he's always had open. I'm sure he has tons of discussions that we don't know much about. He's not someone to fleece or burn bridges & I'm fine with that. As far as taking cap dumps, Marleau paves the way at the moment & a late first round pick is kind of crappy in my book. I'd rather not eat up cap space if that is the return. Let's spend some money that will actually be productive to this season.
- I Am The Breadman

Yep, someone was saying on another blog that Bowman only had a few go to GM’s. Here’s a list of teams he’s traded with since January 2018:

Devils
Penguins
Kings
Rangers
Lightning
Oilers
Coyotes
Blue Jackets
Canucks
Canadians
Bruins
Predators
Capitols
Senators

Yep, someone was saying on another blog that Bowman only had a few go to GM’s. Here’s a list of teams he’s traded with since January 2018:

Devils
Penguins
Kings
Rangers
Lightning
Oilers
Coyotes
Blue Jackets
Canucks
Canadians
Bruins
Predators
Capitols
Senators
- walleyeb1

Though not necessarily within that limited time frame, I believe he has also dealt with the Leafs, the Hurricanes, the Panthers, the Flyers, the Knights, and the Jets. So he has traded with well over half the teams in the league during his tenure as GM.