EDMONTON, Alberta — Within a talented NHL rookie class, Blackhawks rookie forwards Ryan Greene and Colton Dach aren’t garnering much international attention.
Dach’s three points and Greene’s two points (entering Saturday) didn’t exactly put them high on the scoring leaderboard, and the presence of prominent forward prospects like Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov, Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis in the Hawks’ pipeline overshadows them.
But both have been subtle bright spots for the Hawks — Greene because of his defensive reliability and Dach because of his physicality. They were roster-bubble guys entering training camp, yet they’ve been roster staples throughout the regular season to date.
Both know that expanding their skills offensively, too, could improve their chances of locking down NHL spots long-term. Here’s what they’re each working on:
Greene’s focus
Greene’s promotion onto the first line last Monday didn’t make much sense initially. Fans and reporters alike wondered what a defensive center could possibly add to a line with Connor Bedard and Andre Burakovsky.
Greene has defied those doubts, however, by showing a different side of himself and proving effective in the role. He knew he could, too.
“Coming here, in the beginning, I needed to be someone who was responsible and detailed and good defensively,” Greene said Friday. “That’s what was expected of me. I’ve always known I had the offensive side of my game. It’s just a matter of getting more confidence as the [season] goes on, getting more comfortable with the pace of play. Playing with those two gives me an opportunity to do that.”
Before Thursday in Winnipeg, Greene had recorded only one shot on goal during five-on-five play this season. Against the Jets, however, he recorded two — and they were both grade-A chances that could’ve gone in if Connor Hellebuyck wasn’t the goalie.
Greene said Bedard and Burakovsky are teaching him how to “play at their speed.” Indeed, he skated 3.0 miles in that Jets game — by far his most in any game this season.
He’s also getting engaged in more and more puck battles, which is the No. 1 thing coach Jeff Blashill talked to him about needing to improve. He won an important battle down low Saturday against the Oilers to set up Burakovsky’s equalizing goal.
Ryan Greene wins a battle to set up Burakovsky’s goal: pic.twitter.com/zjHkru5CNQ
— Ben Pope’s Video Clips (@BenPopeCSTclips) November 2, 2025
Greene still projects long-term to be a third- or fourth-line center (in the Jason Dickinson mold), but this first-line experience can’t hurt. He did average nearly a point per game each of the last two seasons at Boston University, so it’s worth finding out how much of that scoring he can translate to the NHL level.
“He has good offensive skill,” Blashill said. “How that results in production over time, we’ll see. He’s got a good shot, he can really pass the puck, he can hold onto it and he’s got good poise.”
Dach’s focus
Dach began the season in that spot on Bedard’s left wing, but he has settled into the bottom six for the past couple weeks.
Down there, Blashill has instructed Dach to practice holding onto pucks longer, using his hefty 6-4, 220-pound frame to protect them from opponents and being slightly less risk-averse with his decision-making.
“[I’m] trying to hold onto pucks a little bit longer in the ‘O’-zone instead of trying to force plays,” Dach said. “Maybe not always resort to the safe play; maybe see if there’s something else available.”
On Tuesday against the Senators, he created an offensive possession for the Hawks with a smart play below the goal line, then buried his first goal of the season off a rebound later that shift.
“We’ve talked to all our guys about risk management and knowing that balance of when to attack and when not to,” Blashill said. “[With Dach’s] size, hands and skating ability, [we want him] just spending that extra split-second holding onto it and making sure he does what he wants to do with it and doesn’t just throw the puck away.”
