Golden Knights make Reid Duke first player

The Vegas Golden Knights acquired their first player in franchise history on Monday, signing Reid Duke to a three-year entry-level contract.

Duke, 21, has 67 points (35 goals, 32 assists) in 54 games with Brandon of the Western Hockey League. He will finish the season with Brandon and will take part in the Golden Knights' development camp during the summer.

"I think what's impressive with Reid is a real high skill level and yet a guy that's able to play a big, strong, heavy game," assistant general manager Kelly McCrimmon said told the Golden Knights website. McCrimmon also is the owner of Brandon and was the general manager and coach since 1992-93 prior to being hired by Vegas. "When we project Reid, we think his game will evolve as he becomes a pro. We believe he's going to be an NHL player. It's real exciting for us to be bringing Reid into the Golden Knights organization."

Duke had been drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the sixth round (No. 169) of the 2014 NHL Draft but never signed with them and was considered an unrestricted free agent.

Reid Duke

McCrimmon said the Golden Knights have been following Duke since September when he played for the New York Rangers at the Traverse City Prospect Tournament. Duke also took part in the Montreal Canadiens prospect development camp.

"Obviously I have a connection to Reid, an affiliation with Reid," McCrimmon said. "But Reid's a player that was identified by [Director of Player Development] Wil Nichol. Wil was really the guy that was eager to continue evaluating Reid over the course of the season."

The Golden Knights were approved to begin acquiring players on March 1.

The results of the 2017 Expansion Draft, where the Golden Knights will pick one player from the other 30 NHL teams, will be announced June 21.