The bad news continues for Kirby Dach, Hockey Canada, and the Chicago Blackhawks as Bob McKenzie of TSN is reporting that Dach suffered a fracture in Canada's pre-tournament win over Russia. McKenzie went on to add that it's unclear on how long Dach will be out of the Blackhawks line-up for, but team doctors want him to return to Chicago for further evaluation to determine if surgery will be required.
Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that Dach would miss the entire 2021 World Juniors.
Kirby Dach sustained a fracture in yesterday's Team 🇨🇦 game vs. Russia 🇷🇺. It's too early to say how long he'll be out of CHI lineup. Hawk doctors want to get him back to CHI to examine him and get more imaging in order to decide if surgery is required.— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) December 24, 2020
Dach, 19, was drafted in the first round, 3rd overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the 2019-20 season with Chicago putting up 23 points (8 G, 15 A), 24 penalty minutes, and was a -1 in 68 games. In 9 playoff games, Dach took his game to the next level, recording 6 points (1 G, 5 A), 4 penalty minutes, and was a +3.
While losing Dach is big for Team Canada, they certainly have the depth to overcome it. With Dach now out of the tournament, Canada will need to name a new captain, which likely will be either Dylan Cozens or Bowen Byram.
Canada will kick off their 2021 World Junior tournament on Boxing Day against Germany at 6 pm ET/4 pm MT (local time).
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