Walker Duehr logo with Winnipeg jet | NHL boot camp 2025 – Sioux Falls alive

Sioux Falls – Walker Duehr experienced the life of a tourer in the NHL last season for the first time in his career.

After playing 16 games for the Calgary Flames, the group was abandoned by the group in January, and then taken over by the San Jose Sharks. However, in March, Duehr ended up again exempting, ending the 2024-25 season with the San Jose Barracudas of the American Hockey League, but without a two-way contract.

When summer arrived, Duehr found himself an unrestricted free agent, but on July 2, a new deal was reached with the Winnipeg Jets.

Duehr’s contract at hand is now zeroed in the offseason plan as he hopes to leave his mark at Jets training camp this fall.

“I think everything is new to me and a lot of things happens quickly,” Duehr said. “I have limited free agents with Calgary several times and ended up signing with them, so it’s just trying to figure out what’s best for me and my family.”

“End of becoming Winnipeg.”

Duehr bounces between the AHL and NHL rankings and he will enter his sixth season in 2025-26. The former Minnesota standout has seen 92 NHL games in his five seasons, amassing 21 points on 11 goals and 10 assists.

However, this new opportunity is one that is eager to have. He will join a Jets organization that scored a league-best 116 points in the regular season, and during that time he scored a league-best 116 points with a 56-22-4 record.

However, this also means that when you go to camp on September 4, there will be a lot of competition to form a team. For him, one of the added benefits of signing with Winnipeg was how close it brought him to home.

“It’s only six and a half hours away,” Duehr said, who remains the first and only player born in South Dakota. “It will be great for the family, but I am joining a team that has been very successful in recent years.

“They have a good core and the style of playing really includes the style I play. That’s one of the reasons I signed there. I’m so glad to go with them.”

Duehr’s two-way deal is no different from his previous career deals, giving Winnipeg the option to call him into the Jets’ roster or send him to the AHL for more skills.

If Duehr is unable to get the team out of camp, he will start the season with Manitoba Moose, the AHL branch of Jets.

Duehr has been back to Siouxford Falls since mid-May. He took a break for about a month and trained easily so that he could give his body some time to recover. But in June, he began working full-time at Sanford Fieldhouse, and in the last month, he intensified ice time.

“I skate three or four times a week, and exercise three or four times a week, so when I was about to go to the camp, the training regained strength again.”

Trent Singer / Sioux Falls Live

Duehr has been skating at the legendary hockey elite player at Iceplex this summer, working with his longtime coach and mentor Noëlle Deedham. He also played a lot of ice time at Midco Arena, and most of Augustana’s hockey teams have been skating.

At Fieldhouse, Duehr has been working closely with lead strength and conditioning coach Brad Rilling.

“I was able to use the turf and weight room they had here,” Duehr said. “It was a great combination for me to be able to work in terms of speed. Obviously, the weight and being able to use some of the recovery items they had here, which kept me feeling physically throughout the summer.”

Duehr had a total of 24 NHL games last season (16 flames and 8 Sharks), an average of less than 9 minutes per game. He scored two goals in San Jose, including the first issue of his home debut against Nashville on January 23.

After spending more than three years with Calgary, Duehr gained his life with another organization when he landed in San Jose. It was a chaotic experience, and it turned out to be eye-opening in more than one way.

“Between me and my agent, we thought there was a good chance I would pick up somewhere. It was San Jose in the end, so it was a whirlwind,” Duehr said. “I was picked up at noon in Calgary and at 7pm in Calgary, I was on the plane. I kind of had to pack my life and walk on the road and start the race the next day at 1am.

“I ended up scoring though, so it’s funny.”

Trent Singer is a sports journalist Sioux Falls is alive. He focused his coverage on Augustana men’s hockey and sports in the Siouxford Falls area. The singer’s previous stay includes Just a female sportsthis Southeast Missouri and Kentucky’s new era.