Dylan Duke

May 2023 – Duke played with much more confidence in his sophomore season. He plays bigger than his 5-10 size, and is the master of the garbage goal. He is a shift disturber in the mold of a Michael Bunting. He was an important third-line player for Team USA at the WJC. – Dobber

June 2022 – Duke had a down year statistically, but he was also playing around four minutes less a night in comparison to his draft year. He was on a stacked Michigan team, with the likes of Thomas Bordeleau, Matthew Beniers, and Brendan Brisson all getting more ice time. I’d expect an improvement on his 22 points in 48 games next year.

He plays a high-energy game: he’s a very chippy player who sets up shop in front of the net and doesn’t let anyone bigger or smaller than him muscle him out of position. I don’t see him becoming less lower than a 3rd line player, which is a good role on a team like Tampa.

Curiosity abounds as the futures of Beniers and Bordeleau will directly affect the opportunity in front of him next season. But with the likes of Nazar and McGroarty coming into the mix next year, this will be one roster to keep your eyes on. Caleb Kerney.

July 2021 – Duke was selected in the fourth round, 126th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 NHL Draft. Dave Hall

February 2021 – Duke has been an impact player for the USNTDP squad this season, leading the team with 20 goals and tied for the team lead with 34 points in 30 contests. His play this season has him in the conversation as a potential late first-round pick and he should push for a spot on the American WJC team next year.

The first thing that stands out about Duke is that he scores a lot of his goals from in and around the blue paint. He isn’t the biggest player but he is strong on his skates and displays good contact balance battling for position in front of the opposition’s net. He creates screens, has good hand-eye coordination for deflecting shots, and can get underneath bigger defenders to dig for rebounds in tight. Duke also has a strong sense of when to push off or back away from traffic to get himself into space for a shooting opportunity in tight and he has the hands to make quick adjustments to put the puck behind goaltenders. While he often sets up shop in front of the opposing net, Duke also has the ability to score off the rush with a hard and accurate shot. He plays with energy and hunts pucks on the forecheck but will sometimes cheat for offense and get caught on the wrong side of the puck. Despite that, his overall defensive habits are strong as he tracks back into his own zone to help down low or retrieve loose pucks to start a breakout. If there is a gripe with Duke’s game, it would have to be his skating ability. He plays with good energy and gets around the ice fairly well but his short, uneven stride limits his ability to impact the game in transition and drive play for his line. He has some things to iron out but Duke projects as an effective net-front presence who can impact a powerplay and provide secondary scoring at the NHL level. Nick Richard