Philadelphia Flyers 2019 NHL Draft Spotlight: Kirby Dach

The St. Albert Alberta Canada native has the skills to be a tremendous offensive player in the NHL but will likely be out of reach for the Philadelphia Flyers when they pick at 11.

Kirby Dach is a 6’4, 198-pound center who has used every part of that size to dominate Western Hockey League competition. Following a 46 point (7 Goals, 39 Assists) rookie campaign in which he played in 52 games, Dach posted 73 points (25 Goals, 48 Assists) in just ten more games played with the Saskatoon Blades. He looked to shoot more this past season and paid dividends for not only his goal total but his assist mark as well.

The Canadian centerman also found success during tournament play for his home country. Dach participated in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup for Canada’s Under-18 squad and ended up sitting third on the team in scoring with seven points in five games. His efforts helped Canada become Cup champions, showing he can hold his own and, more importantly, win against talented players of his age.

Dach is definitely more of a playmaker than goal-scorer as you can see from his numbers, having a knack for getting pucks through tight windows to fellow teammates for a chance to score. His on-ice vision is impeccable and can read what opposing defenses are instructed to do like a book. Becoming a more willing shooter has made him more lethal on offense, as he can trick defenders into thinking he’ll pass and opt to put a shot-on-goal instead. He does an excellent job of controlling the pace of play, too, and utilizes his large frame to shield the puck away from the defense in order to extend plays in the offensive zone. Dach’s defensive game is solid in its’ own right, too, as he’s a willing back-checker and has a great stick thanks to his long reach.

His skating and shot aren’t elite and could use some improvement as he ages, but he’ll likely never be the player that dekes or accelerates passed defensemen. Alternatively, Dach will apply his strength to out-muscle players and create chances, so the fact that he doesn’t have blow-away speed shouldn’t be too much of a concern. That’s not to say he’s a bad skater, because he’s not in the slightest, just that he isn’t a burner or the fastest in this particular class.

As I mentioned above, Dach will presumably be long gone by the time General Manager Chuck Fletcher and the Philadelphia Flyers are on the clock at 11th overall. Still, there are surprise fallers every year and if for whatever reason Dach is one of them, he’ll be a stellar talent for Philadelphia to add in their already deep system.