OilersNation has reported:

Colton Dach’s play without the puck has given the Edmonton Oilers reason to keep using him at centre, though his position after he and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins return from injury is not settled. Coaches had planned to put Dach in the middle on the fourth line, but Owen Michaels’ arrival has added uncertainty about how the lineup will look.

In clips from Edmonton’s first three regular-season games, Dach appears comfortable tracking back through the neutral zone and into his own end. His body language suggests he is scanning for open opponents and other potential threats. That awareness may come naturally, or it may reflect coaching, but it is a foundation for playing centre.

Off-puck play can be difficult for young professionals to learn. Connor McDavid, nearing his 30s, still has to give extra attention to his positioning away from the puck, after spending much of his development with it on his stick, including his final season with the OHL’s Erie Otters. The source analysis says it is difficult to learn where to be when a player has the puck so often.

The defensive-zone clips are presented as more useful for assessing a centreman’s habits than clips from the offensive zone, where position matters less. The analysis adds that Oilers’ positioning in their own zone can also be flexible. In one example, the first Edmonton player back is the F1, or first forechecker, and that player does not have to be the centre.

Dach is often the first player back because he forechecks tenaciously, and he skates well enough to fill that role in the defensive zone regularly. The analysis suggests he would likely be best paired with another natural centre on his wing. It also frames the video as a team clip, since defensive responsibilities depend on the group being on the same page, rather than as an effort to single out one player.

Dach’s stop-and-start movement is another positive. Players who skate in wide loops to build speed can struggle to play centre, while Dach is able to stop and start in his own end. Those habits help him get into useful positions to defend, collect the puck and make the next play.

His work extends across the ice. Dach grinds in both ends, works to regain possession and, once Edmonton has the puck, has the puck-handling and passing ability to continue the play. The analysis describes him as looking like a true 200-foot centre who can contribute on both sides of the puck.

Dach has also arrived in time to collect loose pucks in the clips and move them along. That timing is part of his overall off-puck contribution, alongside his ability to get back defensively and support the attack after a change of possession.

Faceoffs provide another indication of the trust he is receiving in the middle. Dach has taken defensive-zone draws, including one late in the third period when Edmonton was leading Vancouver 8-5. He also took an overtime draw in an emotional game, won it and promptly left the ice, a sequence that suggests his role was clearly defined and that he carried out what was asked of him.

The bigger question remains whether the Oilers will continue to use Dach at centre once he and Nugent-Hopkins are healthy. The coaching plan had pointed to Dach centring the fourth line, but the arrival of Michaels has created another option. The first three games provide examples of Dach’s defensive awareness, movement, faceoff work and ability to handle the puck, while the eventual arrangement will depend on the team’s plans when the injured players return.

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