CHICAGO — Colton Dach has a lot to be excited about right now.
Not only will the forward make his NHL debut for the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, but he’ll do it against his brother, Kirby, a forward for the Montreal Canadiens, when the teams square off at United Center (8 p.m. ET; CHSN, TSN2, RDS).
“It was just surreal,” said Colton Dach, who was recalled from Rockford, the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League affiliate on Thursday. “Just kind of sitting at home enjoying an off day, I get the phone call (on Wednesday). I don’t know, can’t really describe it. Just excited.”
Colton was in touch with Kirby when he got the news.
“We were actually texting, trying to figure out what to do for dinner yesterday, if he had time to drive in from Rockford. Halfway through our conversation, he said, ‘Well, I’ll see you tomorrow anyway. I’m getting called up.’ It’s pretty cool.” Kirby said on Thursday.
“Then (we were) trying to figure out how to get dad (Dale) in town. We all know how long (Colton) has worked for this and to see it pay off now, it’s pretty cool to be in attendance and play against him.”
Unfortunately, Colton and Kirby’s mom, Hilary, and sister, Callie, won’t be at the game. Callie is a forward for the North Alberta Institute of Technology’s women’s hockey team and is currently playing various squads in Europe and Hilary is with her.
It’ll be the first time the Dach brothers have played against each other at any level.
“We’ve messed around on the outdoor rink or scrimmages back home in the summer (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta), stuff like that,” Kirby said. “For it to be in the NHL, it’s pretty cool.”
For a few years, it looked like they would be NHL teammates at some point. The Blackhawks selected Colton in the second round (No. 62 pick) in the 2021 NHL Draft, two years after they took Kirby with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 Draft. Chicago traded Kirby to the Canadiens on July 7, 2022; the 23-year-old has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 37 games with the Canadiens this season.
Colton Dach has 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 30 games with Rockford this season. He is also familiar with Blackhawks interim coach Anders Sorensen, who was Rockford’s coach before he replaced Luke Richardson on Dec. 5. The 21-year-old is also familiar with Chicago center Frank Nazar, who he played with in Rockford and will be on a line with on Friday, along with right wing Teuvo Teravainen.
Colton said his consistency is where he’s improved most this season.
“That’s something that I’ve been trying to strive (for) in my game the last few years and I think kind of found that mentality that I need to have every single night to play consistent and play heavy and that’s just what I’ve got to do to get up here. Just got to maintain it.”
LNH.com senior writer Jean-Francois Chaumont contributed to this report
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