One of the bright spots in the Chicago Blackhawks’ exhibition loss to the Detroit Red Wings was the play of forward Colton Dach. He scored a goal and continued to bring a physical presence to the team, something he’s been doing all preseason.
Dach scored a goal by driving hard to the net and depositing it. The Blackhawks don’t have many power forwards who can come up with this kind of tally, so they are likely to keep a player who has that in his arsenal.
There is nothing pretty about the way Dach plays, which makes him perfect for the overall makeup of the lineup. At this point, it is fair to assume that he is going to make the team because he keeps impacting games in different ways.
“The last two games, I thought I did pretty good showcasing my physical side,” Dach said after the game. “I wanted to come over here tonight and showcase some other aspects of my game.”
Dach set out to be a difference maker in other ways beyond his physicality, and he did. Not only did he score the nice goal, but he also generated a handful of chances for himself and his teammates. A lot of these chances came late when the Blackhawks were trying to get back in it, which shows his ability to stay engaged until the very end.
Currently, it appears safe to say that Dach is likely to make the team. There are a handful of forwards fighting for the final few spots, but few have made the impact during games that Dach has, including some of the veteran roster locks. With that in mind, he knows he must keep working and proving himself to make sure he’s with the NHL team on opening night.
“I think every day it’s the same, just come in, work hard, try and make it – try and prove to them that I belong.”
Dach, despite knowing his current status in the organization, has confidence in himself. He credits being around everyone more over the last year as a reason that he feels good. Whether it was in the NHL or AHL, he developed well during 2024-25, which has set him up for success this year.
“I think playing last year, kind of getting familiar with the guys, getting to know the staff, the trainers, everything. You just feel more comfortable in the locker room.”
Coming out of major junior hockey and turning pro is difficult for a lot of young players who have NHL potential.
Dach was no different, but there were things that he did to improve his game and his mentality, which allowed him to get to this point. He talked about working on his consistency over the last two years, which is something that needs to exist if you are going to live in the NHL.
“I think the consistency factor,” Dach said postgame when asked about what he’s worked on to reach this level. “I think that was my biggest thing going into the AHL two years ago, and then last year, the same thing, just trying to play consistent, trying to show them that I can be an NHLer every day.”
Dach is going to be relied on to play a certain role for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2025-26. A lot is made about the skilled guys at the top of the lineup, like Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Teuvo Teravainen. There isn’t much “nasty” or “mean” in any of their games, though.
Tyler Bertuzzi can bring some of that, but Dach’s future with the team has a lot more runway. Dach can be a successful player of this type for the Blackhawks over the course of many years.
If he keeps working on his offensive productivity, his physical game, and being a leader in the locker room, he will hold tremendous value for a long time.
When the lineup card comes out next week, expect Dach to be on it with the intentions of being an impact player.
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