The Vegas Golden Knights 2024 Development Camp is underway, and one of the veterans there is 21-year-old Slovak forward Jakub Demek.

“I’ll be there for the third time and one of my jobs will be to help the newcomers so they get used to it faster,” he said in a recent interview with Hockey Slovakia back home in Košice. “Within the club, they also monitor your leadership skills and willingness to devote yourself to your teammates, but I do it naturally and I’m happy to help as much as I can.”

A fourth-round pick of the Knights in 2021, Demek has played in North America ever since. The first two seasons were in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings and Kamloops Blazers, followed by his first season of pro hockey in 2023-24 with the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL.

“It was a pretty cool season,” said the 6-foot-4, 203-pound right winger. “It was the first time I played with all men, so it was a valuable experience. It took me a while to get used to it. The AHL itself is very tough, and that was the biggest difference.”

After his final junior season with Kamloops was limited to just 15 games due to shoulder surgery, last season he spent a couple of spells on the sidelines due to concussions. He often saw limited minutes in the 55 games he did play, scoring seven goals and adding nine assists.

“But that's also part of the learning process,” he said. “It was my first year, so I usually played on the fourth line and had more defensive roles. Anything more was a plus. That’s how it is everywhere in the world, and the guys who’ve been around a few years were given more opportunities. They’re also usually the ones to get a chance if someone on the big team gets injured.”

Although he didn’t play in any NHL games, Demek did get a call-up in October to practise with the Golden Knights.

“That was a great experience,” he said. “I’d never been on an NHL team before, and practising with players from the best league in the world was awesome. It was another step towards fulfilling my dream of playing in the NHL. But I have to work hard to get there. It was encouraging to me that they expressed satisfaction with my approach and performance at the post-season exit meeting. I believe that next season I will get to play a game in a Golden Knights jersey.”