Throughout the progression of one’s hockey career, there will always be hurdles that must be overcome. Some hurdles may be larger than others, but to have a successful career, you must tackle those challenges head-on.  Henderson Silver Knights forward, Reid Duke, has faced plenty of adversity throughout his young professional hockey career, but he has not let that affect his play.  Instead, he uses it as motivation.  When Duke is on the ice, he’s giving everything he has for his team.

Duke spent his junior career in the Western Hockey League (WHL), having been drafted by the Lethbridge Hurricanes fifth overall in 2011. Being born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada it was a good situation playing close to home, however, as the years went on, it became clear that both sides were at an impasse.  Lethbridge began to rebuild, while Duke became a coveted asset across the league.

Duke was traded early in the 2014-15 season to the Brandon Wheat Kings where he would play a major role on the team’s quest for the Ed Chynoweth Cup.  While the struggles with Lethbridge were challenging at times, the move to Brandon immediately paid off.  

“I had the opportunity to play with some amazing players and join some friends I already knew on that team,” said Duke.  “Playing meaningful hockey with Brandon helped me grow as a player and as a person.  We made it to the WHL Finals in 2015 and won the Championship in 2016.  I’ll never forget how much fun it was to be part of that winning environment.”

The benefits of this move also paid dividends in the connections Duke was able to establish with eventual Vegas Golden Knights General Manager, Kelly McCrimmon. McCrimmon had long been involved with the management of the Wheat Kings and was Head Coach of the team during Duke’s tenure with the club.  McCrimmon was later hired in a management role with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights where he now serves as General Manager

While with the Wheat Kings, when McCrimmon traded for Duke, he immediately called Reid telling him that they were going to work to get him an NHL contract.  “I was originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2014, not long before I joined Brandon, but the team never pursued a contract with me. Once I was officially a free agent, I got a call from McCrimmon, who was by then with Vegas, saying that the Golden Knights wanted to sign me.”

This connection drew Duke to Vegas knowing an NHL deal would be on the table. After attending other camps around the NHL, Duke agreed to a three-year entry level contract on March 6, 2017, officially becoming the first player in Vegas Golden Knights franchise history.

With this came plenty of exposure and notoriety.  The Golden Knights were the first expansion team in the NHL since 2000. Duke received significant media attention, appearing on radio and TV shows across the USA and Canada due to the uniqueness of the situation.

Inevitably, the transition to Vegas began amid much hype and excitement.  However, during his first training camp with the club, Duke unfortunately suffered a setback when he was hit awkwardly and elected to have surgery to repair his injured shoulder. He missed most of the 2017-18 season, only suiting up for 14 regular season games with the Chicago Wolves, the Golden Knights’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate at the time.

“Due to the severity of the injury, I opted to stay in Nevada to rehabilitate. For the first few months, I stayed in a hotel in the area for easy access to the rehab facilities, but that changed after James Neal offered me the chance to stay with him while I recovered.  Even though he only spent one season with the team, James Neal has been a great mentor and friend ever since.”

Duke looked forward to the 2018-19 campaign as his first true season in pro hockey.  He would be assigned to the Chicago Wolves to begin the season, but within a few months, Duke received a call-up to the Golden Knights. Although he did not end up seeing any game action, he looks back fondly on that experience.  “To see how far I had come, going from junior to practically missing an entire professional year, then getting to the NHL in such a short period of time was surreal.”  

Unfortunately, after he was reassigned to Chicago, another major injury occurred, this time to his wrist, which required surgery and put him on the shelf for the remainder of that season.  The Wolves went on to have a fantastic season, advancing to the Calder Cup Finals, with Duke, who would have played a key role for the Wolves throughout their playoff run, watching from the sidelines.

The following 2019-20 season, Duke was back in Chicago playing well and continuing his development until more bad luck struck. After taking a hit to the leg, a blood clot was discovered in his leg which required a further six months of recovery. Given this amount of time, Duke went back to Las Vegas to rehab.  While he was there, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were beginning to transpire throughout the globe. With COVID rampant throughout the world, the AHL paused and then eventually cancelled the remainder of their season.  Duke’s return to professional hockey would now have to wait even longer. “I was able to stay with the Golden Knights during the 2020 Playoffs in the Edmonton bubble.  I gained a lot from that experience and was with them as they advanced to the Conference Final.”

The 2020-21 season should have been a big year for the Golden Knights organization with a brand new AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, set to begin play.  Players would now be able to stay closer to their NHL team in the Greater Las Vegas area. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing pandemic, the AHL season didn’t commence until early February, 2021.  Then, once Henderson commenced their shortened season, Duke suffered yet another injury after going hard into the boards. While this shoulder injury was not as serious as the previous one, he happened to injure his other shoulder during the team’s post season, requiring another surgery in the offseason. This surgery required Duke to miss the first two months of the 2021-22 season. 

Since returning to play this season, Duke has been able to stay healthy, appearing in 45 games for the Silver Knights. 

Duke’s transition to pro has seen plenty of injuries and setbacks, but he has not let that deter him from having a successful career. “I’m focused on staying healthy to not only have longevity, but to support my team in any way I can.  Persistence through any injury is never easy, but the support I’ve received from the team, my family, and friends has allowed me to push through the adversity.” 

Having their AHL affiliate closer to home has provided players such as Duke access to NHL amenities even when assigned to the AHL.  Duke will continue his off-season training, aim to stay healthy, improve, and strive to eventually make an impact in the NHL.

“Persistence is more than coming back from injuries. Being drafted and going unsigned was not an easy situation, but you control your own narrative.”  

It’s this drive that helped Duke become the first player in Vegas Golden Knights history, and one that will allow him to continue to write Golden Knights history moving forward.