The Blackhawks recalled top prospect Kirby Dach after only six days on an AHL conditioning assignment with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL on Friday night.
Dach, who was selected third overall in this year’s NHL draft, registered seven shots and a minus-1 rating in three games with the IceHogs. The Blackhawks sent him to the AHL so he could work his way back into game shape after being out since Sept. 10 with a concussion he suffered during the seventh-place game of the NHL Prospect tournament in Traverse City, Michigan.
The 18-year-old center tallied 73 points (25 goals, 48 assists) in 62 regular-season games with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades then added eight points (five goals, three assists) in 10 playoff games.
Dach is not eligible to play in the AHL full-time this season due to Canadian Hockey League rules, and the Blackhawks will have up to nine NHL games to decide whether to keep him in the NHL or send him back to the WHL. If he plays fewer than nine NHL games, his entry-level contract will slide to next season.
The Blackhawks will hold an optional practice Saturday before hosting the Capitals on Sunday when Dach could make his NHL debut.