Dach hopes to impress Oilers, Babcock after new 2-year contract

EDMONTON -- Colton Dach is returning to the Edmonton Oilers this season, but he's approaching it like a new opportunity. 

That's because Mike Babcock is now the coach for the Oilers, and Dach is hoping his hard work will lead to more opportunities, especially after he signed a two-year, $2.4 million contract ($1.2 million average annual value) as a restricted free agent on Sunday. 

Now 23, Dach was just 16 the last time Babcock coached a game in the NHL, for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"Obviously, I was pretty young when (Babcock) was a coach with Detroit and Toronto, but I think his coaching style will fit my game pretty well," Dach told NHL.com Monday. "I'm a guy that goes out there and gives it my all and works hard and shows my work ethic. It's going to be hard, heavy minutes and it's something I'm going to be excited for."

Dach had 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 61 games last season, including four points (two goals, two assists) in eight games after the Oilers acquired him, along with forward Jason Dickinson, in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 4 for forward Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. 

He averaged 10:09 of ice time per game with Edmonton. He wants more this year. 

"I think for myself personally, it's trying to gain that trust with the coaching staff and up my minutes a bit and prove to them that I can be a good 200-foot player," he said. "Obviously, it's always nice to contribute offensively and hopefully those numbers can go up from last year and I'm trying to work on my game this summer to help do that."

Selected by the Blackhawks in the second round (No. 62) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Dach, who was born in St. Albert, Alberta, was excited to come play for his hometown team after two rebuilding seasons in Chicago. 

"I was thrilled coming here and getting a chance to play in front of these fans," Dach said. "Before that I was a fan of the team, and you get to understand how passionate the fans are, and you want to stick around and you want to keep playing for these fans. They're diehards and it's easy to come and want to stay."

Edmonton has Stanley Cup aspirations despite losing in the Western Conference First Round to the Anaheim Ducks last season in six games. The Oilers went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, losing to the Florida Panthers each time.

The bar has been raised with the hiring of Babcock. 

"It's always nice to come into a team that is trying to win right now and wants to win so badly," he said. "It's fun to come to the rink when you're winning. That's what makes this game so awesome, you get to come in, and you get to be with your friends and your brothers and battle with them and compete and at the end of the day, it's awesome to have that." 

Dach is looking forward to contributing to the cause by being a reliable player defensively and providing offensive support to Edmonton star forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. 

"I think for me, it's playing a hard, heavy game, playing smart, being offensive and a little more confident with the puck," Dach said. "I think playing below the (face-off) circles is going to be where my offensive game is going to shine. I just have to battle, compete, play heavy and make it tough on opposing players to play against us." 

Such was the plan when he was acquired by Edmonton last season, but he sustained a lower-body injury in his third game with the Oilers and missed the next 12. He was able to return to play the Oilers' final five games of the regular season and five games against the Ducks in the playoffs. 

"It's not the greatest thing to have happen after the team trades for you and you get an opportunity and then you get hurt in just the third game in," Dach said. "It's not fun, but I think the last couple of games I played and going into playoffs, I thought my game at a personal level was in a good place. 

"I like my game before I got hurt and I think my confidence grew, getting to know the guys in the locker room. Maybe being hurt kind of helped with that, getting to talk to them a little bit more and hanging out with them and getting to know the staff a little bit more as well."