Canada's Dec. 23 night tune-up against Russia was supposed to be a way for the boys to get their legs under them in preparation for the tournament. Instead, the team will is now competing for gold at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship without top player and team captain Kirby Dach.
“Kirby was excited to represent Canada and captain our team at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, and our players, coaches and staff are all disappointed he will not be able to participate this year,” Scott Salmond, senior vice president of national teams with Hockey Canada, said in the team's release. “We recognize Kirby’s commitment and leadership and know how eager he was for the opportunity to proudly represent his country at the World Juniors. He was dedicated to his role as captain and contributing to defending our gold medal. We wish Kirby the best and hope for a quick recovery as he looks ahead to getting back on the ice with the Blackhawks.”
Chicago confirmed a right wrist injury and announced on Dec. 28 he had right wrist surgery to repair a fracture. He is expected to return to hockey-related activities in approximately four to five months.
A basic fracture generally results in a 4 to 6 week or 6 to 8 week absence but if surgery is required it could be considerably longer than that. But no decision on that has been made yet.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) December 24, 2020
In the third period of Canada's 1-0 win exhibition win, Dach went to knock Russia's Ilya Safonov off the puck and appeared to injure his right hand in the process. After the collision, the Canadian captain immediately took his glove off and looked at his hand. He skated right to the bench and went straight down the tunnel. He did not return to the game and TSN's Gord Miller reported after the final buzzer that Dach went for X-rays.
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Head coach André Tourigny did not have an update after the game aside from saying that the 19-year-old saw the doctor and got X-rays.
"I like his drive. He really tried to make plays and bring everybody in the fight and play the right way, not try to force the game" said Tourigny when asked to assess Dach's game before the injury. "Ultimate team player out there."
Canada's captain, Kirby Dach, left the ice and went straight to the dressing room after this play. pic.twitter.com/ZEzfG66aad
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 24, 2020
Dach was expected to be one of the main cogs in the Canadian offense. Before leaving the game, he was playing the wing on the team's top line with Jack Quinn and centerman Dylan Cozens. A veteran of 64 regular-season games last season where he netted 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists), and nine summer bubble games (goal, five assists) with the Blackhawks, the loss of Dach leaves a hole in Tourigny's line-up.
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"He's definitely a really special player, important guy in the locker room for sure," Jamie Drysdale, who scored the lone goal, said after the game. "He's a really talkative guy, he's a guy you can lean on. ... Obviously, it sucks to kinda see a guy like that go down, and you just hope for a speedy recovery in whatever it is. I'm not sure what that may be but hope that all is good with him. I hope he can get back on the ice."
Compared to previous years, there is little leeway to add a player to the roster at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. Normally, final rosters are due the day before the tournament begins and tweaks are made up to the last minute. This year, because of COVID-19 and the bubble, Hockey Canada will be unable to add a player at this point.
The one positive is that rosters were expanded this year and the Canadians still have a deep and potent group. After all, highly regarded Predators prospect Philip Tomasino did not skate in the game. He'll surely be slotted into the lineup now to at least get the Canadians to 13 forwards. Canada opens up defense of its gold medal on Boxing Day against Germany at 6 p.m. ET (TSN/NHL Network).