He’ll always be the answer to a trivia question. Reid Duke, the first player ever signed by the Vegas Golden Knights, has found a new home overseas. The minor league forward will play this season for HK Nitra of the Slovakian league, after becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer.
Duke, 26, was signed as a free agent by the Golden Knights soon after they were granted franchise status. Originally a sixth-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2014, he hadn’t signed with them, instead going back to junior where he became an impressive player for the Brandon Wheat Kings. When the Golden Knights came into being, he joined their minor league program with the Chicago Wolves and then Henderson Silver Knights, spending five seasons in the AHL.
He never did see any NHL time, as those scoring numbers from junior didn’t follow him to the minor leagues. In 159 AHL games, he scored just 25 goals and 49 points. In Slovakia that could change, and he has a supporter in his corner. Macoy Erkamps, who also signed with Nitra for this season, was a teammate of Duke’s with Brandon and apparently spoke highly of him with team management.