B.C. Division, Insight, Prospects

Future Giants: Ashton Dahms

Written by Adam Kierszenblat on

 

The Giants selected Dahms in the 10th round of the 2020 Bantam Draft. The 5-foot-10, 146-pound forward out of Lakeville, Minnesota is a highly-skilled offensive forward who has had success this playing with the Blue Army 15U AAA.  If Dahms continues to develop, he could be another late-round steal for the Giants in the coming seasons.

Play Style:

Dahms is an offensive force who has a nose for the net. So far this season, he has put up 17 goals and 33 points in his first 20 games. His coach Niko Kapetanovic describes Dahms as a “highly skilled forward who has great hands and is a natural goal scorer.” The Giants need someone who can score big goals and push the offense. This is a player Giants fans should keep their eyes on as he has a chance to make the team in the next few seasons.

Strengths:

Dahms biggest strength is his offensive game. He has contributed offensively with every team he has played for, and even put up 31 goals in 48 games as a 13-year-old playing with a U-14 team. When it came to high school play last season, Dahms played on the varsity team at Lakeville South High. This means as a 14-year-old he is playing against the best players in the state who are generally in the 17 or 18-year-old range. This is great for development as it teaches Dahms how to play against older and stronger competition. Although he only put up four goals in 24 games, this experience will be key in Dahms’s development.

Anytime you are seen as a player talented enough to play against older competition, it means you have a special talent. Dahms is offensively gifted and should continue to put up big offensive numbers in his home state of Minnesota.

Weaknesses:

Dahms is 15 which means he has to grow and develop his strength more. This a common trait that 15-year-old players share as they haven’t finished growing and developing. The other place Dahms has to improve is his defensive game. A lot of offensively gifted players want to focus solely on the offensive zone, but to play in the WHL, you need to have the ability to be sound in your defensive zone. Hopefully playing against older competition in high school, as well as the work being put in by coach Niko will help Dahms develop into a solid player who can take care of his own zone while still putting up big numbers in the offensive zone.

Blue Army:

Blue Army is a very successful organization located in Minnesota. In 2019, the organization won nine different tournaments including coach Niko’s 2003 selects team. The team took home the Wold Selects Invitational Championship. The organization also has quite a few WHL drafted players including Aidan Willis who was selected by the Red Deer Rebels, Landon Dauner by the Seattle Thunderbirds, and Liam Hupka by the Spokane Chiefs. In total nine players were drafted last season either through the Bantam draft or US draft. The program is extremely successful and will hopefully help Dahms develop into a solid player for the Giants.

Projection:

Dahms has great potential but needs to get bigger and better defensively. If he can work on these traits, he could be an important player for the Giants down the line. The Giants need offensively skilled players like Dahms. He may be smaller than some, but he has the ability to score and contribute offensively at a constant level. If his development continues, watch for Dahms to push for a spot on the team in the 2021/2022 season.