Blackhawks Recall Colton Dach, Expected to Make NHL Debut vs. Canadiens

The Chicago Blackhawks announced Jan. 2 they recalled forward Colton Dach from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, and he is expected to make his NHL debut Jan. 3 against the Montreal Canadiens.

the Dachtor is in????‍⚕️

???? https://t.co/590rhHG2JI | @Enterprise pic.twitter.com/PHO8esHD4j

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 2, 2025

The club also announced that forward Joey Anderson has been assigned to the AHL.

The 21-year-old Dach has played 30 games with the IceHogs this season, scoring 12 goals and adding 13 assists for 25 points and 17 penalty minutes. In his rookie 2023-24 campaign, he scored 11 goals and added 16 assists for 27 points in 48 regular-season games for the IceHogs.

Dach, a native of St. Albert, Alta., was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. His junior career was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries, but he still scored 29 goals and added 50 assists for 79 points in 61 games with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Kelowna Rockets in 2021-22.

Dach was traded to the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2022-23 and helped the club win the Ed Chynoweth Cup, the league’s championship trophy. They were defeated by the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s (QMJHL) Quebec Remparts in the championship game.

The game will be a family affair as Colton’s brother Kirby is a center for the Canadiens. Kirby was also a member of the Blackhawks for three seasons, scoring 19 goals and adding 40 assists for 59 points in 152 regular-season games in Chicago.

The Blackhawks have struggled in 2024-25, going 12-24-2 with 26 points in 38 regular-season games. They are last in the Central Division, the Western Conference, and the entire league.

Forward Connor Bedard leads Chicago in points with 33, scoring 10 goals and adding 23 assists. Teuvo Teravainen is second with 24 points (seven goals and 17 assists), while Ryan Donato rounds out the top three with 21 (11 goals and 10 assists.)

In net, goaltender Petr Mrazek is 7-14-1 with a 3.23 goals against average (GAA) and .893 save percentage (SV%), while Arvid Soderblom is 5-9-1 with a 2.78 GAA and .907 SV%.

The Blackhawks host the Canadiens Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. EST / 7 p.m. CST, then host the New York Rangers Jan. 5 in a Sunday matinee, followed by a date with the Colorado Avalanche Jan. 8.