TAMPA - Dylan Duke, a 23-year-old forward who tied for third in the American Hockey League with 32 goals last season, is entering Tampa Bay Lightning training camp with a clear objective: earn a permanent spot on the NHL roster in 2026-27.
Duke posted 32 goals and 59 points across 72 games for the Syracuse Crunch last season, with his point total tying for second on the team. It was a significant jump from his first full professional season in 2024-25, when he scored 20 goals and 40 points in Syracuse before scoring his first NHL goal in a 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
“It starts with camp,” Duke said. “I’m going to work as hard as I can, be a good person off the ice, be a good teammate on the ice and give it my best effort. I’m going to try to make the team, and if that doesn’t happen then I’ll go to Syracuse with the same mindset that I had the last two years - work as hard as I can and try to earn a call-up.”
The 5-foot-10 left-shooting forward, a fourth-round pick by Tampa Bay at the 2021 NHL Draft, has logged just three career NHL games. He attributes his AHL scoring success not to skill alone but to positioning and persistence.
“I think it came down to hard work. I don’t necessarily score goals the prettiest way,” Duke said. “I score goals the hard way in front of the net on tips and rebounds while getting crosschecked and tied up. I think a lot of it is determination.”
Lightning defenseman Max Crozier, Duke’s former Crunch teammate, said the forward’s work ethic has been consistent since day one. “I’ve seen a workhorse from the moment I met him to now, and that hasn’t changed,” Crozier said. “He’s gotten a lot better. He’s just a humble guy that puts his head down and works and grinds, and he’s willing to fill any role the team needs him to play.”
Duke spent his offseason training in Plymouth, Michigan, skating alongside a group that included Jack, Quinn and Luke Hughes, Kyle Connor, Cole Caufield, Connor Hellebuyck, Zach Werenski and Jake Sanderson. He also worked with Lightning skating and development coaches Randi Milani, Barb Underhill and Tracy Tutton.
“Those guys are so good, and all it does is make you better,” Duke said. “It makes you more competitive because you have to work as hard as you can just to get through a summer skate. That’s helped me a ton, and I feel like being out there with them has prepared me for camp.”
Lightning Assistant General Manager Jeff Tambellini said Duke has built a strong foundation at the AHL level but now faces a new challenge. “He’s a perfect example of a player that has created an outstanding AHL identity, and now he has to do the same thing at the NHL level,” Tambellini said. “He’s put himself in a spot where he’s going to challenge for call-up games and depth roster spots, and now he’s going to have to find a way to show Jon Cooper and his staff that he can help at the NHL level.”
Syracuse Crunch Head Coach and General Manager Joel Bouchard offered an unambiguous endorsement. “Dukey is definitely a Tampa Bay Lightning profile of player,” Bouchard said. “He’s improving every year. He’s dedicated. He goes to the dirty areas, and he’s such a joy to coach.”
The Lightning open the 2026-27 preseason with training camp, where Duke will compete for a roster spot or a depth call-up role under head coach Jon Cooper.