Kirby Dach’s basic scoring totals look amazing for an 18-year-old. But his underlying statistics are more of a mixed bag.
Entering Friday, Dach has been extremely efficient on his 5-on-5 offensive opportunities — whether that’s because of skill, good luck or some mixture of both is hard to determine — but he actually hasn’t generated a lot.
On one hand, a large portion of Dach’s shot attempts turn into promising scoring chances. He gets his shot attempts through on goal with the second-highest accuracy among Hawks forwards. He ranks fourth and first among team forwards in the percentage of shot attempts that turn into scoring chances and high-danger scoring chances, respectively. And he also leads the team with a 21.7 shooting percentage (shots on goal that are goals).
On the other hand, Dach just doesn’t shoot all that often. He’s averaging just 9.9 shot attempts per 60 minutes this season, ranking ninth among the 13 main Hawks forwards. Shoot-first guys like Dominik Kubalik and Alex DeBrincat, by comparison, take more than 14 shots per 60.
That lack of quantity raises concerns that Dach might not be able to maintain his currently impressive box-score production (five goals, five assists in 18 games), which for now has him tied with second pick Kaapo Kakko and one point behind first pick Jack Hughes in the 2019 draft competition.
Still, Jeremy Colliton remains unflustered about his third pick’s development.
“You always want him to create more, absolutely,” the coach said Friday. “But obviously we’re focusing on the defensive side too. When he plays center, there’s a lot of responsibility defensively, and he’s making strides there and he’s shown he can produce for us, so it’s a normal progression for him.”
With Dylan Strome concussed and out indefinitely, Dach was elevated up to the second line alongside Patrick Kane and DeBrincat on Tuesday against the Stars, and will remain there Friday versus the Avalanche.
With linemates as offensively focused as those two, Dach has a gleaming chance to put on display his scoring and shot generation potential.
“He probably gets out there a little more, and then obviously you’re playing with two pretty good, dynamic offensive players in Kane and DeBrincat, so it is an opportunity for him,” Colliton said. “But we don’t really want him to change his game; we want him to play the same way. He’s a good player and he can make plays.”
“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Dach said. “I know I have to make sure I’m in the right spots for him and do the right things for Kane and ‘Cat.”
Peters resigns from Flames
Bill Peters submitted a letter of resignation from the Flames’ head coaching position Friday, Flames general manager Brad Treliving announced.
Peters’ resignation comes after a week in which numerous former players, with both the Blackhawks’ Rockford AHL team and the Hurricanes, came forward with stories of verbal and physical abuse.
Former Hawks prospect Akim Aliu started the firestorm by alleging Monday that Peters repeatedly called him the N-word, then later had him demoted to the ECHL due to their frayed relationship. The NHL reportedly continues to investigate the incident.
