3 years ago
318
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Jack Dugan remained diligent aft helium was drafted by the Golden Knights successful 2017, biding his clip successful inferior hockey and assemblage earlier turning pro past season.
But astatine 23, Dugan is starting to get a small restless.
“Personally, I consciousness similar the clock’s starting to tick a small spot for me,” Dugan said Friday. “I’m starting to get a small antsy and starting to privation to amusement what I tin bash astatine the adjacent level because, honestly, I don’t cognize yet, either.”
After his beardown debut successful the American Hockey League with the Silver Knights, Dugan is hoping to ace a heavy radical of forwards with the NHL nine erstwhile grooming campy begins adjacent week.
The archetypal measurement connected that quest is this play astatine the Rookie Faceoff Tournament, wherever helium volition service arsenic the elder statesman for the Knights and is expected to beryllium 1 of their cardinal drivers of discourtesy during the 3 games.
“The adjacent period is truly going to beryllium important for Jack and enlightening for the enactment successful presumption of assessing his improvement and projecting what he’ll beryllium this year,” wide manager Kelly McCrimmon said.
Dugan signed aft his sophomore twelvemonth astatine Providence, but wasn’t eligible to articulation the Knights successful the postseason bubble astatine Edmonton, Alberta. As a result, helium went much than 10 months without playing a crippled earlier the Silver Knights debuted successful February.
The layoff didn’t impact Dugan’s offense, arsenic helium was 2nd connected the Silver Knights with 33 points successful 37 appearances during the regular season. But aft taking pridefulness successful his betterment defensively during his clip astatine Providence, Dugan admitted helium lapsed successful that country aboriginal connected with the Silver Knights portion trying to beryllium himself offensively.
“We cognize Jack’s a precise bully violative player,” Silver Knights manager Manny Viveiros said. “We’re surely not going to instrumentality that distant from him. But we privation to adhd much to his crippled truthful if he’s ever called up to the National Hockey League helium tin beryllium relied connected successful antithetic situations.”
Dugan skated arsenic an other with the Knights during their postseason tally to the Stanley Cup semifinals and reported to Las Vegas astatine the commencement of August to statesman offseason training.
Not lone was it important to Dugan to get astatine campy successful highest condition, helium besides wanted to amusement the enactment his committedness and beryllium helium is NHL acceptable entering the last twelvemonth of his entry-level contract.
The Knights person 12 forwards nether declaration with unsigned restricted escaped cause Nolan Patrick expected to beryllium successful the fold earlier grooming campy opens Wednesday. Top imaginable Peyton Krebs besides is expected to beryllium successful the premix for a roster spot portion Alex Tuch is connected injured reserve pursuing enarthrosis surgery.
Even if Dugan doesn’t marque the roster connected opening night, helium could beryllium successful enactment for a call-up during the play should the wounded bug hit.
“I’m conscionable waiting for that accidental and doing everything I tin to marque it hard connected the guys up apical to marque a decision,” Dugan said. “Ultimately I’m conscionable going to support moving hard and proving myself and amusement them what I tin do.”
Note: The Silver Knights signed guardant Reid Duke to a one-year AHL contract.
Duke, 25, was the archetypal subordinate signed by the enactment successful 2017 but has battled injuries passim his pro career. He posted 4 goals and 8 points successful 17 games with the Silver Knights past play and has 19 goals and 39 points successful 114 vocation AHL games with Henderson and the Chicago Wolves.
“There’s a batch to similar astir Reid,” Viveiros said. “If helium tin enactment healthy, he’s going to beryllium a bully hockey player. We’re hoping this is the extremity of his injuries.”
Contact David Schoen astatine dschoen@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ connected Twitter.
English (US) ·