With his college career behind him, the tenacious forward will now see how his game plays against larger, more skilled competition.
| Name | Dylan Duke |
| Position | Forward |
| Age (as of October 1) | 21 |
| Height/Weight | 5’10”, 176 lbs. |
| Expected 2024-25 Team | Syracuse Crunch |
| Draft – Year, Round | 2021, Round 4 (#126) |
| Previous Rankings | #7 (2023), #14 (2022), #23 (2021) |
| Writer’s Ranking | 7 |
| Reader’s Ranking | 7 |
| Final Rank | 7 |
Stats
Our Thoughts
Dylan Duke is going to play in the NHL at some point in the next two seasons. The question will be for how long. If he continues to develop the skills he showed at the University of Michigan and builds up a little strength, he could find a meaningful role as a high-energy, middle-six forward that plays in every aspect of the game.
What we’ve seen from Duke in his Michigan career is that he is a tireless skater who has a knack for scoring big goals from in close. Now, as he enters his first full season as a professional, we’re going to learn how that game plays against larger, more experienced opponents. It’s one thing to dominate the front of the net against fellow collegiate players when you’re 5’10” and 176 lbs., it’s something else to do it against a seasoned 29-year-old AHL veteran who is six inches taller and 50 pounds heavier.
The good news for Lightning and Crunch fans is that Duke seems to have that innate sense on how to get to the open area, the soft spots that aren’t covered, and when he’s there, he makes a play. There’s a reasonable chance that he can score 15-20 goals at the AHL level, and the total distance of those goals might not equal the length of a football field.
One of the nice things about having a prospect at one of the power hockey institutions is that he is surrounded by NHL talent and is basically participating in a professional hockey environment. In his freshman and sophomore seasons he played behind Matty Beniers, Kent Johnson, Thomas Bordeleau, and Adam Fantilli. Yet, each season in Michigan he improved as his time and role on the ice increased, becoming one of the team’s leaders in his junior (and final) season with 26 goals and 23 assists in 41 games.
There was some question on if he would stick around Michigan for one more season to chase a NCAA championship, but he decided, like a lot of his underclass teammates, to head to the professional levels as he signed his entry-level contract in time to join the Syracuse Crunch on an ATO at the end of their season. The forward appeared in three regular season games without a point, but picked up two assists in five playoff games.
This season he’ll be one of the Crunch newcomers that will be relied on for offense. Chances are he’ll slide out to one of the winger positions as opposed to center where he played for a large portion of his college career. That will play well to his skill set, and might remind some fans of Alex Killorn with his relentless skating and heavy game.
Duke doesn’t shy away from a forecheck or a physical game. How could he when he’s made his living in front of the net so far? He displayed a little more playmaking last year than what we’ve seen in the past, but probably won’t be much of an offense driver at the professional level. That’s not a bad thing as he can be a really good complimentary player to forwards that do drive play.
He’s not going to hurt you in the defensive zone either as he makes solid reads, blocks shots and is willing to drop deep to retrieve pucks down low. Again, the question will be how effective he will be against bigger and faster opponents. So far in the preseason, he’s looked comfortable in game action.
Duke should be a part of the next evolution of the Lightning, along with Conor Geekie, Isaac Howard, and Ethan Gauthier. In fact, he could be a key piece of those future teams as he will likely be on the ice for even-strength, power-play, and penalty-kill minutes. Coach Cooper loves players he can throw into any situation, and Duke fits that mold.
Highlight Videos
Duke started the play by blocking a pass with his skate. He shielded it along the boards long enough to kick it out to the point and then floated into the crease behind the action to tap home the loose puck. He’ll score a lot of goals like this.
He probably would have had his first career goal here if Daniel Walcott didn’t poke it home before it crossed the line. The nice part here is that Duke never stopped skating despite the log jam at the blue line. That let him get to the puck first and throw it on net.
Get to the front of the net and good things happen. Duke’s excellent hand-eye coordination is on display here as he deflected a shot from distance.
