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1. Development Camp is crucial to player development and scouting
Every NHL franchise holds development camps during the offseason to get a look at their prospects, as well as give the prospects a chance to learn from the team's coaches and improve their game. During the inaugural Golden Knights Development Camp, Vegas' hockey operations staff will have the chance to work with the team's first-ever crop of prospects, help them refine their games and figure out where each player might fit in the organization.
It is a mutually beneficial experience: players get to improve and learn from the Golden Knights, and the Golden Knights get to learn more about the players that will shape the future of the franchise.
2. Draft picks, other prospects and invitees will attend
Fresh from the NHL Entry Draft in Chicago the week before, the Golden Knights' first-ever entry draft picks will get their first chances to skate on Las Vegas ice. In addition, prospects that the team has already signed to entry-level contracts, such as Reid Duke, will be eligible to be there as well.
Finally, the team will also invite prospects that are not under contract with any professional team that they would like to take a closer look at. This is a chance for unsigned free agents and prospects to show off their skills in search of a chance to play in the professional ranks. If the hockey operations staff is impressed, that player could be signed to a minor-league contract in the future.
The full development camp rosters will be announced at a later date.
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3. Today's prospects could be tomorrow's stars
Team development camps have been the starting point for many stars in the NHL today. So, that draft pick or that unsigned invitee you see on the ice at the Las Vegas Ice Center could be a household name in just a few years.
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4. First glimpse at Golden Knights hockey in Las Vegas
At Development Camp, future Golden Knights players wearing Golden Knights jerseys will be playing hockey.
On ice. In Las Vegas.
That's pretty cool.
Stay tuned to VegasGoldenKnights.com for complete coverage of the inaugural Golden Knights Development Camp in just a few short weeks.
