Chicago Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach will miss four to five months after having surgery Monday on his fractured right wrist, the team said.
Dach, playing for Team Canada, was hurt during an exhibition win last week against Russia ahead of the world junior championships.
The 19-year-old was injured on what seemed to be a harmless bodycheck in the neutral zone in the third period. After the hit, the Canada captain pulled off a glove, skated off the ice and went directly to the locker room area in Edmonton, Alberta.
Selected by Chicago with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NHL draft, Dach was a breakout star for the Blackhawks during this summer’s bubble, in which Chicago upset the Edmonton Oilers in the qualifying round.
Dach scored six points in nine games, while finishing second among all Blackhawks forwards in ice time (19:24), trailing only Patrick Kane. On the season, he had eight goals and 15 assists in 64 games.
“He has all the potential in the world,” Kane told ESPN in August. “I think he can be a top player in the league. … He can be as good as he wants, you know?”
The Blackhawks are without another ascending young forward; Alexander Nylander is out four to six months after undergoing knee surgery. Chicago signed 35-year-old veteran forward Carl Soderberg this week to help with forward depth.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.