- Colton Dach re-signed with the Oilers on a two-year deal and heads into camp chasing a bigger role under Mike Babcock
- The 23-year-old averaged just 10:09 a night after last season’s trade from Chicago and wants those minutes to climb
- Read below for what Dach said about fitting Babcock’s system and earning more trust
Colton Dach is back in Edmonton, and he’s treating this season like a clean slate.
The reason sits behind the bench. Mike Babcock is the Oilers’ new coach, and Dach thinks the fit works.
Dach was asked how Babcock’s approach lines up with his game.
“Obviously, I was pretty young when (Babcock) was a coach with Detroit and Toronto, but I think his coaching style will fit my game pretty well,” Dach told NHL.com. “I’m a guy that goes out there and gives it my all and works hard and shows my work ethic. It’s going to be hard, heavy minutes and it’s something I’m going to be excited for.”
The new deal runs two years and pays $2.4 million, a $1.2 million cap hit. Dach signed it Sunday as a restricted free agent, and the Oilers made it official:
Edmonton picked him up at the deadline. Dach and Jason Dickinson came over from Chicago on March 4 for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first-round pick. He put up four points in eight games down the stretch and skated just 10:09 a night.
He wants a lot more than that this year.
The 23-year-old talked about what he still has to show the staff.
“I think for myself personally, it’s trying to gain that trust with the coaching staff and up my minutes a bit and prove to them that I can be a good 200-foot player,” he said. “It’s always nice to contribute offensively and hopefully those numbers can go up from last year.”
He flashed that scoring touch once he landed in Edmonton. Watch Dach bury one for the Oilers:
Dach was 16 the last time Babcock ran an NHL bench. The kid from St. Albert now gets to earn that trust in front of his hometown crowd.
