Oilers sign Colton Dach to two-year extension

The Edmonton Oilers are keeping around a piece of their depth up the middle for the next couple of years.

On Sunday, the Oilers signed center Colton Dach to a two-year contract extension.

The deal will carry an average annual value (AAV) of $1.2 million. Dach is scheduled to become a restricted free agent once again upon the expiry of the contract.

Dach, 23, was acquired along with forward Jason Dickinson by Edmonton from the Chicago Blackhawks at last season’s trade deadline in exchange for forward Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first-round pick. Following the trade, Dach had two goals and two assists for four points in eight regular season games for the Oilers. He then contributed one assist over five games played in Edmonton’s first-round playoff loss to the Anaheim Ducks. In 53 games for Chicago last season prior to the trade, he put up three goals and six assists for nine points.

The St. Albert, Alberta native was initially a second-round pick (62nd overall) of the Blackhawks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Following his draft year, Dach played two more seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL), including his final season of 2022-23 which saw him get traded from the Kelowna Rockets to the Seattle Thunderbirds, and then notch three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 19 postseason games en route to Seattle winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.

Dach’s 2023-24 campaign, his first as a pro, was spent entirely with the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Rockford IceHogs, where he registered 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 48 games. Dach got his first taste of NHL action in the 2024-25 season, when he had two goals and five assists for seven points in 25 games for Chicago. With Rockford that season, he stepped up his production with 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in just 33 games.

Dach is the younger brother of Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach.