It’s only a matter of time until Dylan Duke is playing hockey for the Tampa Bay Lightning on a regular basis.

NameDylan DukePosition Center/ForwardAge (as of October 1)22Height/Weight5’10”, 176 lbs.Expected 2025-26 TeamSyracuse CrunchDraft – Year, Round2021, 4th Round (126)Previous Rankings23rd (2021), 14th (2022), 7th (2023), 7th (2024)JustinG.’s Ranking8Final Rank6

Stats:

Our Thoughts:

During their recent run of injuries, the Tampa Bay Lightning have made an assortment of call-ups. Scott Sabourin provided some size and depth on a line with Curtis Douglas and Jack Finley. Boris Katchouk had NHL experience in his back pocket and was a good fit on the third line. Jakob Pelletier’s one-game cameo was a nice reward for his hot start in the AHL, and made sense considering Brandon Hagel wasn’t going to miss too much time. It’s a shame that a run of special teams play in that game limited his playing time.

One name conspicuously absent from those call-ups was Dylan Duke. The second-year professional hockey player is playing well, and he profiles as a middle-six forward that can provide offense and still play defense. Oh, and he’s leading the Crunch in offense. At this point, the Lightning decided that the best thing for him would be to stay in Syracuse. Honestly, it’s not a bad idea.

Patience will be a virtue for the former University of Michigan forward. After working his way up the Wolverines depth chart over his three seasons, Duke joined the Crunch full time last season and had an excellent debut. His 20-goal, 20-assist performance was good for third on the team and earned him the Ephesus “Brightest Prospect”/Rookie of the Year Award from the team.

So far this season, he’s on pace to best that performance as he’s up to 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists) in 15 games. Five of those goals have come in two games as he scored a brace against Rochester and then had a hat trick against Utica last Thursday. He also has a two-assist and three-assist game under his belt this season. When he’s scoring, it’s coming in bunches.

There is nothing fancy in his game. It’s played in straight lines, usually directed right at the crease, and with a high amount of energy. Duke isn’t the fastest skater on the ice, but he might be the most energetic. While his skating has increased incrementally over the last couple of years, it is still, at best, average. With his non-stop motor and style of game, that isn’t the end of the world, and if he can increase it just a bit more, it won’t even be considered a negative.

He might have a reputation as a crash-the-net style of player, but his puck skills are better than one might assume at first glance. He can pick out teammates and set them up when he needs to. While he isn’t a blur of blue and white streaking down the ice he is sturdy on the puck, which allows him to carry the puck through the neutral zone and through traffic.

That being said, he is going to make his living in front of the net where he is more than willing to take, and dish out, punishment in the pursuit of a tip or rebound. The vast majority of his goals have come, and will come, within a stride of the crease. The question that time will answer is if he can do that at the NHL level. He’s proven he can in college and in the AHL. So, at some point in the near future, Duke will get a chance to prove that.

For now, he can continue to get reps and ice time in Syracuse. With the Crunch he is a key part of all three aspects of the game. He can kill penalties and his deflection/tip ability is important on the power play. Defensively he can read plays and barrel his way into dirty areas to win puck battles. No one is going to outwork him on the ice.

Duke had a brief audition with the Lightning last season and didn’t look out of place. That’s one of the reasons it was somewhat surprising he didn’t get a plane ticket to Tampa over the past week, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. A few more games in Syracuse as opposed to 12 minutes of ice time in a protected role in the NHL isn’t going to derail his career.

Chances are that once he gets the call he’ll probably stick around for awhile. Will it be this season? Possibly. More likely it will be next season when some holes emerge in the Lightning’s middle-six. Duke is signed through next season and will be a restricted free agent after that. Time is still on his side.

Your Thoughts:

While this comment doesn’t name drop Duke, it is a good summation of where he and others stand.

“The obvious hope is that some of these prospects turn into impactful players for the Bolts at some point. We’ll see in the coming seasons how they progress.”

Highlight Videos:

Here he is in his happy place. Set up in front of the goaltender on the power play, Duke is running interference as the shot comes in. He then takes a shot to the back of the shoulders as he finds the puck and jams it home. He may not be big, but he is tough to knock off of the puck.

The third goal from his hat trick game comes on a nice quick wrist shot. Pretty much everyone on the ice, including the goaltender, knows he is going to shoot this puck if the pass gets to him. He still beats the goalie cleanly. It’s a quick release and accurate placement.

It’s not a glamorous life, even on the power play. Here Duke takes a big hit behind the net, but still makes the play to pick up the assist. Tough play along the boards is a big aspect of his game.

As this highlight shows, he isn’t one to fly down the ice, but he might be a little quicker than opponents think. Once he lowers his shoulder, he uses his body to protect the puck and is strong enough to one-hand the puck to the slot where Wojciech Stachowiak puts it in the net.