Golden Knights recall young forward, who could make NHL debut

The Golden Knights recalled forward Jakub Demek from AHL Henderson on Friday, per a team announcement. Forward Brett Howden was moved to IR in a corresponding transaction, per CapFriendly.

Howden, 25, was scratched for last night’s 7-3 loss to the Maple Leafs and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. As a result of today’s IR placement, he has been ruled out of the first two games of Vegas’ upcoming road trip and is eligible to return on Feb. 29 in Boston.

The 20-year-old Demek has never been recalled in his professional career. Selected by Vegas in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, the Slovak winger could be in line to make his NHL debut against the Senators on Saturday.

He’s currently listed as a projected scratch on CapFriendly’s depth chart for Vegas, but an already banged-up forward core got injured further when Paul Cotter took a hard hit from Toronto rookie Matthew Knies last night. Cotter finished the game, however, meaning Demek’s recall may be precautionary in case any other Vegas forwards come down with the injury bug in the next 48 hours.

Selected out of HC Kosice in the Slovak Extraliga, Demek came to North America after being picked up by Vegas in the Entry Draft and spent the following two seasons with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings and Kamloops Blazers, playing in back-to-back Memorial Cups. He didn’t quite crack the point-per-game mark at the junior level but hovered near it and remains on track to deliver the expected value for his draft billing.

Now in his first professional season, Demek has five goals and 13 points through 44 games with the Silver Knights, along with a -5 rating. Vegas would rather let the 6-foot-4, 210-lb forward continue working with development staff in Henderson. However, injuries to five regular forwards (William Carrier, Pavel Dorofeyev, Jack Eichel, Howden, and captain Mark Stone) have forced them to reach deep into their pool of minor-league players.

Demek is in the first season of his three-year, entry-level contract with a cap hit of $851,683. He remains waivers-exempt and will be an RFA in 2026.