Kirby Dach realizes draft dreams in Vancouver

Kirby Dach’s life changed drastically in a matter of moments Friday evening with one simple announcement.

After Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko were selected first and second overall respectively in the 2019 NHL entry draft in Vancouver, it was time for the Chicago Blackhawks to make their selection.

General manager Stan Bowman approached the microphone on the draft stage and unceremoniously announced the pick.

“With the third pick, the Blackhawks are proud to select, from the Saskatoon Blades, Kirby Dach,” he said before a mixture of cheers and boos filled Rogers Arena.

After spending all day nervously waiting and wondering where he would end up, Dach’s life quickly turned into a blur.

“It’s nuts. You’re sitting in your chair not knowing what’s going to happen and then you hear your name get called,” Dach said from a hotel room in Chicago. “The next thing I can remember is seeing my family a couple of hours after my name was called. It was all a blur.

“I definitely didn’t expect to go (to Chicago). It was quite shocking, but I’m thrilled to be a Blackhawk and I can’t wait to get going.”

He wasn’t the only one surprised at the pick. Thousands of people at the draft in Vancouver let out a mixture of cheers, screams and boos at the selection.

Kirby Dach takes to the draft stage after being selected third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft on June 21, 2019. (Chicago Blackhawks/ Twitter)

Out of all the teams that scouted Dach this year, Chicago was barely in contact with him aside from a couple of meetings during the season and a few more at the combine.

“I didn’t really hear from them at all the week leading up to the draft,” he said. “(It was a) kind of a shock that way because we were starting to hear things and speculate.”

Spending every day since he was 11 years old trying to do everything he could to make it to the NHL paid off in that one moment as his lifelong dreams suddenly became a reality.

“You kind of take a step back and realize that dreams can come true, and I was able to work and achieve this one, but the work is just starting,” said the product of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. “I know I have a lot to go to where I want to be and the standard I hold myself to. I’ve got to have a good year in the gym, on the ice and in (training) camp.

The thing about Dach that separates him from most teenagers is his professionalism. The reserved teenager treats everyone with the same kindness, he never really steps out of line and he has sacrificed plenty.

While most people in his class were out partying in the middle of the night, Dach, the Blades’ top academic student this season, was buried in the books or sneaking in an extra workout. That meant that sharing draft day with his family was that much more special.

“Family for me is everything. We’re a super tight-knit group, and we’re all so supportive,” Dach said about his younger siblings Colton and Callie. “They’re my best friends, and my parents obviously groomed me into the person I am today. I wouldn’t be who I am, as a person or as a player, without my family. I owe them everything.”

Dach moves the puck past Spokane Chief Ty Smith in overtime to win a game on Oct. 19, 2018. (Saskatoon Blades/Twitter)

Dach is spending Monday and Tuesday in Chicago as part of a promotional tour to meet his new team and city. The Blades sniper was instantly scurried off the draft stage where media tours, promotional videos and interviews began.

The new NHLer is taking it all in stride.

“It’s part of the life now. I’m enjoying it every step of the way. I’ve always enjoyed doing those things, so it’s not too strenuous,” he said.

His life has no doubt changed. Players like Dylan Strome, Jonathan Toews, and dozens of other prominent NHLers have sent him calls or texts to welcome him into the league but there’s still one thing an 18-year-old can’t get out of this time of year.

“I still have to finish up school and write one more exam, so I’m just trying to live out the normal teenage life,” he said.

Although Dach’s life has undoubtedly changed since Friday’s draft, some constants will always manage to ground the most budding young sports superstar.