What’s up, Dach? His stock in draft, for one
Fort Saskatchewan product impressing talent evaluators at Hlinka Gretzky Cup
TSN draft guru Craig Button sees a whole lot of Anaheim Ducks star Ryan Getzlaf in Kirby Dach.
Dach, pronounced ‘Doc,’ said he admires Winnipeg Jets ace Mark Scheifele.
One thing is for sure: the Fort Saskatchewan centre, who is playing right wing for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup because coach Andre Tourigny has too many pivots, has big-time tools. The Saskatoon Blades forward is going to go somewhere in the top third of next year’s NHL draft.
He shoots right, always a plus. He’s almost 6-foot-4, another check mark. He’s a heckuva passer, like Getzlaf. And he has made a seamless move to the wing on a dynamic line with the likely 2020 first selection Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic on the left and Peyton Krebs of the Kootenay Ice in the middle as Canada prepares to play the U.S. in a semifinal Friday at Rogers Place.
In Canada’s 4-3 win over Sweden Wednesday to finish the round robin, Dach showed off his skill on one shift when he spun off a checker and fed Lafreniere, who was in front of Swedish goalie Jesper Wallstedt.
Late in the third period, he provided shade for Bowen Byram’s long shot that got under Wallstedt’s arm for the winner, coming close to tipping it.
“Kirby ’s a pass-first guy, but he’s playing really well on the wing ... he’s really impressed me with his hockey sense,” said Tourigny. “He’s always played centre, but he’s on the wing and he’s been solid.
“He tracks the puck hard, he has good consistency, he moves the puck.”
Dach burst onto the scene at 13, when he scored 100 points in 33 games for Fort Saskatchewan’s bantam AAA Rangers. In his first Western Hockey League game at 15, he scored two goals in the first 34 minutes. He had 10 points in 19 games with the Blades after they were granted permission to let him play beyond the five-game maximum because of a run of injuries.
The No. 2 pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft (after Krebs) had 46 points in 57 games last season as a
Kirby’s a pass-first guy, but he’s playing really well on the wing ... he’s really impressed me with his hockey sense.
full-time rookie, short-circuited by an upper-body injury.
He was at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Russia in the spring, but played only two exhibition games.
Hockey Canada airlifted some extra help and he got a plane ticket rather than a roster spot. The tournament roster is primarily for players who are draft eligible that year, like Lloydminster’s Ty Smith, who went 17th overall to New Jersey, not relative youngsters like Dach, who have to wait until 2019.
“I was sent home because they had more players available,” said Dach. “Nothing bad to say ... it’s still a great honour to play for Canada.
“It all started for me when I was really young. Watching Jordan Eberle score that late goal against Russia (at the 2009 world juniors), that’s when I fell in love with Team Canada. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to wear the Canadian maple leaf on my chest.”
Dach has heard the Getzlaf comparisons. Like Getzlaf, who would rather set up Corey Perry, he’s an unselfish type. He had seven goals and 39 assists last year. With his shot, he should easily score 20-25 goals a year.
“I’ve seen Getzlaf a few times and, yeah, I like to pattern my game after him. Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets, too. They play a hard 200-foot game,” said Dach, who had four points in the three round-robin games. “Pretty cool experience to be playing for Canada in my backyard.”
He and Lafreniere have had strong chemistry so far.
“He’s a fantastic player. He’s so easy to play with. He seems to know where the puck is going to be before it gets there,” said Dach.
Russia plays Sweden at 3 p.m. Friday at Rogers Place in the other semifinal.
ON THE BENCH: The American side finished 2-1 in the round-robin portion of Group B in Red Deer, losing 8-3 to Russia Wednesday. Spokane Chiefs forward Luke Toporowski and Robert Mastrosimone both had three goals for the U.S. in the tournament … Wallstedt doesn’t turn 16 until Nov. 14 ... Outstanding Swede wingers Alexander Holtz and Lucas Raymond aren’t draft eligible until 2020 and Holtz might give Lafreniere a run for No. 1 ... Russia had the same 18-5 goals-for/goal-against ratio in the round-robin with Vasili Podkolzin, Daniil Gushchin, Yaroslav Likhachyov and Mikhail Abramov tied with Lafreniere and Canadian teammate Ryan Suzuki for the tournament high in points (six).