Colton Dach didn’t waste any time making himself at home in a Kelowna Rockets jersey.
In his debut with the team on Oct. 9, Dach scored one goal against the Victoria Royals and was named the game’s first star.
“I’m a shoot-first player and I like to have the puck on my stick, like a lot of guys, and I think that’s where my game takes itself to another level,” Dach told Global News.
The Rockets acquired the 18-year-old six-foot-four, 205-pound forward in late September from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for Trevor Wong.
Dach played 20 games for Blades during the 2020-21 season, posting 20 points (11 goals, nine assists), with 16 penalty minutes.
He led all Saskatoon skaters in goals (11) and power-play goals (five) scored last season.
With Dach, the Rockets have added some much-needed size up front.
“Our last exhibition game in Kamloops, it was just very clear to me that we were going to be too small at centre ice,” said Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton.
Dach continued to look good during the Rocket’s home opener, a 4-2 win over the Kamloops Blazers last Friday night.
Once again, the Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product was the game’s first star after scoring twice and adding an assist, helping Rockets hand the Blazers their first loss of the year.
In just two games with the Kelowna Rockets, the Blackhawks draft pick has already set a torrid scoring pace, amassing three goals in two games and one assist to average two points per game.
“I think that he’s come in and done exactly what we hoped he would do but, you know, he’s coming back from an NHL camp so you know those guys are ahead of the pace,” Hamilton said.
As the younger brother of Kirby Dach, one of the Chicago Blackhawks’ rising talents, Colton’s dream has always been to play in the NHL and so he plans on keeping up that pace.
“I think I set myself to a high standard,” Dach said after practice Wednesday.
“I believe a lot in myself, I am going to continue to do my best night in, night out,”.
Colton Dach and the rest of the Kelowna Rockets are back in action Saturday when they head to Vancouver to take on the Giants.