Blackhawks say Dach is playing well so he'll stay with the team all season

It's official: Kirby Dach is sticking with the Blackhawks.

After meeting with GM Stan Bowman, coach Jeremy Colliton told the media that the Hawks are indeed going to keep the No. 3 pick of last June's draft on the roster all season.

"Stan and I sat with him yesterday and told him he's going to be here," Colliton told reporters after practice Wednesday in California as the team prepares to face the Los Angeles Kings Saturday. "He's played well. He's shown he can help us and he's only going to get better."

The 6-foot-4, 198-pound Dach has 1 goal and 1 assist in six games and is averaging 12 minutes of ice time. The Hawks could have sent him back to juniors at any point before his 10th appearance to avoid burning a year of his three-year deal.

Dach has centered the third line the last two games with Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw as his wingers.

"It's thrilling and exciting for me," Dach said. "It's something I've dreamed of my whole life. I came into camp wanting to make this team and to finally get that recognition from Jeremy and the management group is awesome and I'm thrilled to be here."

Colliton is excited to see how Dach develops as the season progresses.

"There's likely going to be a huge improvement as the year goes on and the player (he is) in February I'm sure is going to be an impact player for us," Colliton said.