The Penguins rounded out their 13-member draft class on Saturday by dipping into the British Columbia Hockey League and selecting center Kale Dach with their seventh-round pick.
The BCHL is an independent junior league and can be a stepping stone for a player to get into major junior in the WHL. It's a lower-level league, but Penguins vice president of player personnel Wes Clark said that the model they use to analyze strengths of potential picks was high on the 5-foot-11, 172-pound Dach.
Dach played for the Sherwood Park Crusaders, where he finished No. 2 in scoring with 87 points (22 goals, 65 assists) in 54 games, trailing only another fellow seventh-round pick, eventual Blue Jackets pick Jeremy Loranger. He was a point shy of the team's postseason scoring lead, recording 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in eight games.
"He's a two-way guy that produced at a pretty good clip in a pretty good league," Clark said.
The Elite Prospects Draft Guide wrote that Dach is a "natural playmaker" who "generates advantages through sharp, snap processing and a mastery of soft skills. His game features one-touch passes, quick hands in tight spaces, subtle delay tactics, and a wide array of handoff plays."
The Penguins won't have trouble keeping an eye on Dach as he continues to develop. He'll be making the jump up to the WHL next season, where he'll play for the Calgary Hitmen and be teammates with 11th overall pick, Ben Kindel. After one year in Calgary, Dach is slated to move to college hockey and play for Penn State in 2026-27.
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
1:17 am - 06.29.2025DowntownDach rounds out draft class
The Penguins rounded out their 13-member draft class on Saturday by dipping into the British Columbia Hockey League and selecting center Kale Dach with their seventh-round pick.
The BCHL is an independent junior league and can be a stepping stone for a player to get into major junior in the WHL. It's a lower-level league, but Penguins vice president of player personnel Wes Clark said that the model they use to analyze strengths of potential picks was high on the 5-foot-11, 172-pound Dach.
Dach played for the Sherwood Park Crusaders, where he finished No. 2 in scoring with 87 points (22 goals, 65 assists) in 54 games, trailing only another fellow seventh-round pick, eventual Blue Jackets pick Jeremy Loranger. He was a point shy of the team's postseason scoring lead, recording 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in eight games.
"He's a two-way guy that produced at a pretty good clip in a pretty good league," Clark said.
The Elite Prospects Draft Guide wrote that Dach is a "natural playmaker" who "generates advantages through sharp, snap processing and a mastery of soft skills. His game features one-touch passes, quick hands in tight spaces, subtle delay tactics, and a wide array of handoff plays."
The Penguins won't have trouble keeping an eye on Dach as he continues to develop. He'll be making the jump up to the WHL next season, where he'll play for the Calgary Hitmen and be teammates with 11th overall pick, Ben Kindel. After one year in Calgary, Dach is slated to move to college hockey and play for Penn State in 2026-27.
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