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Vegas Golden Knights: In-Depth Look At Reid Duke

By Benjamin Krzywicki

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 28: Reid Duke of the Minnesota Wild poses for a portrait during the 2014 NHL Draft at the Wells Fargo Center on June 28, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 28: Reid Duke of the Minnesota Wild poses for a portrait during the 2014 NHL Draft at the Wells Fargo Center on June 28, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /
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Vegas Golden Knights Player Profile:

Reid Duke

Height: 6’0

Weight: 192 lbs

Age: 21

Nationality: Canadian

On March 1st the Vegas Golden Knights officially became an NHL team. Five days later the Vegas Golden Knights have made their first move in franchise history. The team announced the signing of forward Reid Duke to a three-year entry deal.

Duke is a natural center, but also is able to play on the right wing. Duke was originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the 6th round of the 2014 NHL draft. He is a more defensive minded forward, but he is able to provide some offense. He is also not afraid to get physical.

Next for the full scouting report we go to Future Considerations, “Duke is quickly developing into an ‘all-round’, responsible player in all three zones. The 5-foot-11 forward is responsible in the defensive end while still showing some creativity in the opponent’s end. He continues to show flashes of an elite skill set but hasn’t been able to display them consistently.”

This season, Duke has played for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. In 54 games, he has 35 goals and 32 assists along with 71 PIM. In his WHL career, with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Lethbridge Hurricanes, Duke has 113 goals and 137 assist in 306 games.

Overall I like the signing. The rest of league has to be very careful with how they manage their contracts. The NHL has a limit of 50 and while most teams are at the limit or close. Then you have the Vegas Golden Knights who have no such problem with zero contracts now. Later you will have to add players from the expansion draft and free agency. The Vegas Golden Knights will still be way under the contract limit, which allows them to take plenty of chances on these low risk prospects like Reid Duke.

Related Story: Vegas Can Start Making Deals

Welcome to the Vegas Golden Knights Reid!

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