It’s never easy following in your brother’s footsteps, especially on the same team, but that’s what Colton Dach is trying to do.
The younger brother of Saskatoon Blades star forward Kirby Dach is finding his way on the team with some long-distance guidance from his big brother.
Kirby is currently in Chicago where the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft gets ready for the Black Hawks training camp, but keeps in contact with Colton.
“He texts me after every game to see how it goes and I give him the updates,” Colton said.
Blades head coach Mitch Love said fans should not expect the same style of play from Colton compared to his brother.
“He plays a heavy game, plays a different game than his brother, he’s probably more of a guy that’s going to be bump and grinding type of forward,” Love said.
“He’s a very smart young man, just like a lot of our younger players, we’re trying to get those guys to play a little bit more consistent pace to their game, play the game quick because that’s where the game has gone.”
Colton entered camp at six-foot-two and around 180 pounds, similar to his brother, but said he approaches the game differently than Kirby.
“He’s more offensive, more skilled than I am right now,” Colton said.
“The WHL did a great job making him the player that he is today so I think that will help me be the player I want to be.”
Love said the one thing they don’t want to do is change Colton’s approach to the game.
“I think you’ve got to find that balance of being yourself, having your personality and also buying in with what you’re trying to do,” Love said.
“You don’t want guys to change who they are, that’s when they get themselves into big trouble.
The Blades next preseason game is Friday when they take on the Prince Albert Raiders in Warman.