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Dylan Duke

Minor Transactions: 10/4/25

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With the preseason wrapping up today, some teams will be recalling players they’ve already cut to give them one more game or they will be returning players recently brought up for that purpose.  We’ll keep track of those moves here along with any other minor transactions.

Lightning Reassign Dylan Duke, Gage Goncalves, Brandon Halverson

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The Lightning reassigned forwards Dylan Duke, Gage Goncalves, and goaltender Brandon Halverson to AHL Syracuse on Monday, per a team announcement. Tampa Bay was one of four teams on the schedule yesterday, the final day of game action prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off, explaining why these paper moves didn’t take place amid yesterday’s flurry.

The trio of Duke, Goncalves and Halverson join the many other players headed to the minors over the break to get more playing time. In all likelihood, Goncalves will be the only one back on the roster when their schedule resumes on Feb. 23 versus the Kraken. Duke had only entered the lineup recently, making his NHL debut in the Bolts’ final two games before the break. Halverson was up from Syracuse as the replacement for injured backup Jonas Johansson. Johansson enters the break with a day-to-day designation due to a lower-body injury, so he should be ready when Tampa returns to action in nearly two weeks.

Duke, 21, got on the box score in his first NHL try. The Ohio native and University of Michigan alum scored in his debut against the Red Wings on Saturday on his lone shot attempt across both games. Besides that, his performance was hard to judge with minimal usage. Duke skated just 15:43 total across the two contests, during which time the Bolts were out-attempted 14-7. However, Tampa was out-chanced heavily in both wins, so his Corsi share wasn’t too far south of the team average.

The Bolts selected Duke in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, and he’s looking like a good depth pick. The 5’10” winger/center plays a physical game and has transitioned well to professional hockey, leading Syracuse with 13 goals in 36 games in his rookie season. This likely won’t be his last recall of the season as he pushes for a full-time promotion to the active roster sometime over the next couple of seasons.

Goncalves has spent most of the season in the NHL, albeit with underwhelming results. The 24-year-old pivot has 1-6–7 through 33 games and cleared waivers last month, so the Bolts will extend his 30-day clock by ferrying him to the AHL over the break. He should go back to logging heavy minutes in Syracuse, with whom he’s torched the league for 4-10–14 in only 11 showings so far in 2024-25. He’s coming off a spectacular 45-assist, 58-point showing in 69 games last year, although the 2020 second-rounder is still learning how to transition his offensive upside to the NHL.

Halverson only recently signed a two-way deal with the Bolts, a necessity with Johansson banged up and Matt Tomkins standing as the only other goaltender under contract in the organization. The 6’5″ 28-year-old backed up Andrei Vasilevskiy on multiple occasions but failed to enter a game for the first time since the 2017-18 season. He has a .918 SV%, 2.20 GAA, four shutouts, and a 12-7-7 record in 26 games this year.

Lightning Recall Dylan Duke

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After returning winger Conor Sheary to the minors this morning, the Lightning wasted little time filling his vacated roster spot.  The team announced that they’ve recalled forward Dylan Duke from AHL Syracuse.

It’s the first career regular season recall for the 21-year-old.  Duke was selected late in the fourth round back in 2021 by Tampa Bay, going 126th overall.  He spent three seasons at the University of Michigan, the last of which was a dominant effort coming last season that saw him record 26 goals and 23 assists in just 41 games, good for a share of 11th in Division I scoring.  Duke also had a brief stint with the Crunch last season, getting into three regular season games and five playoff contests.

Duke has played exclusively with Syracuse so far in his first professional campaign.  Through 36 outings this season, he has 13 goals and nine assists, ranking him tied for third in points on the Crunch while being their only double-digit goalscorer.

With the recall, Tampa Bay’s active roster now stands at 22 players but that likely won’t be the case for long.  With the 4 Nations Face-Off break coming up next week, Duke will likely be returned to the Crunch at that time.

Lightning Recall Dylan Duke

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Forward Dylan Duke will get another look in the preseason with the Lightning. He won’t make the opening night roster after being cut from camp on Sunday, but he’s been recalled ahead of tonight’s exhibition game against the Panthers, the team announced.

The 21-year-old is slated to play most of his first professional season with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, although there’s a decent chance he’ll be near the top of Tampa’s list for mid-season call-ups. His showing in tonight’s contest will likely go a long way toward determining that.

A fourth-round pick back in 2021, the Ohio native has played the last three seasons on a star-studded University of Michigan squad. He ramped up his production every year, topping out with 26 goals, 23 assists, and 49 points in 41 games in 2023-24. He finished third on the team in scoring behind the Blue Jackets’ Gavin Brindley and the Penguins’ Rutger McGroarty and earned himself a spot on the Big 10 Conference’s Second All-Star Team.

Duke joined the Crunch for the final few games of the regular season and the playoffs, posting a combined two assists and a -1 rating in eight contests. He’ll be looking to make a much greater offensive impact after a summer of training. The sniper is under contract through 2026-27 and can play both left wing and center, although he’ll likely suit up at the former if he lands a full-time NHL role.

Lightning Sign Dylan Duke To Entry-Level Deal

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The Lightning have signed forward Dylan Duke to a three-year, entry-level deal beginning next season, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed. The center, who the Lightning drafted in the fourth round in 2021, will immediately report to AHL Syracuse on an ATO.

Duke, 21, had been with the University of Michigan since his draft year and had his season end late last week in a national tournament semifinal loss to Boston College. He opts to turn pro after his junior year.

In 41 games this season, he scored 26 goals, 23 assists and 49 points with a +8 rating, setting career highs offensively and ranking third on the Wolverines in scoring. He’s the second high-profile Michigan player to turn pro in recent days, joining Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar.

Duke doesn’t let his small frame (5’10”, 181 pounds) stop him from being a problem for opposing netminders. He’s consistently a solid net-front presence once his team gets set up, earning most of his tallies from within 10 feet of the crease. He’s a bright spot in a relatively weak Tampa Bay pool, checking in as their fourth-best prospect in Scott Wheeler’s 2024 rankings for The Athletic.

Don’t expect to see Duke’s name on the NHL roster come opening night this fall. He’s not the fastest player in the world, and considering his frame already puts him at a disadvantage, the Lightning would probably like to see how he stacks up against professional opponents in the AHL. He also profiles more as a winger than a center at the NHL level – he shifted to wing for most of his collegiate career – likely in a middle-six role.

That’s not ideal for the Lightning, who are incredibly thin at center among their up-and-comers. However, they won’t complain about an influx of young talent at any position as their contention window slowly closes. Duke, along with top-40 picks Ethan Gauthier and Isaac Howard, are a promising group of potential secondary scorers.

Duke will be under contract with the Bolts through 2026-27. The following summer, he will be an RFA without an extension.

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