"I think I had my legs pretty good," Duke said. "It's been a fun week. I'm a competitive guy and I think that's what makes me a good hockey player. No matter what, if it's 3-on-3 at development camp, I'm giving it my all."
The 19-year-old (5-foot-10, 175-pounds) stood out, skating hard, driving to the the gritty areas of the ice, winning puck battles and showing a chippy side.
"The boys were buzzing around," Duke said. "There were a couple of stick taps and a lot of chatter out there. That's what you love to see. It was a close game too ... came right down to the wire."
Duke's competitive play on the ice did not go unnoticed by Stacy Roest. The Lightning assistant general manager and director of player development said he felt Duke's game continued to get better as the stakes were raised in the tournament.
"When you watch him play, you love his compete and his hockey sense," Roest said. "You can tell as the games picked up out there he gets more competitive. In the corners, he starts [winning battles] a little more. We were very happy with his role on his team last year. He will have a bigger role this year. He's progressing very nicely. He's a gamer."
Roest was getting his first look at Duke, a fourth-round selection (No. 126) by the Lightning in the 2021 NHL Draft, in a development camp environment. The Lightning held a virtual camp last year because of COVID-19 concerns, but Duke said there is nothing like being there in person and working with the staff.
"It's special to be here," Duke said. "The city is unreal. Getting to be on the ice with everyone here is real special. I'm just happy about it. ... That's what this is all about -- developing our skills and getting familiar with the staff and comfortable with the process."
The Ohio native will continue to work on his game in his second season at the University of Michigan. He had 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 41 games as a freshman.
Michigan reached the Frozen Four, when it lost to Denver in the national semifinals. Duke said he was able to learn a lot from teammates Owen Power and Matty Beniers, the top two picks in the 2021 draft. Power, the No. 1 pick, joined the Buffalo Sabres after the season and Beniers, selected No. 2, went to the Seattle Kraken.
"It was definitely super special," Duke said. "They taught me a lot on and off the ice. They're pro hockey players for a reason. They could have been playing professional hockey last season and decided to come to school. It was basically like learning from a pro hockey player every day."
