Leading the Country in Goals: Panthers’ Prospect Jack Devine Continues Dominating Season with Denver

The Florida Panthers have a hidden gem in their prospect pool and he’s lighting the lamp all across the country 

University of Denver forward and Florida Panthers prospect Jack Devine is tearing up college hockey.

The Pioneers’ junior forward leads the NCAA in goals (21) and is second in scoring (39 points), just behind his teammate Massimo Rizzo. 

Devine entered college as a 17-year-old after accelerating his senior year of high school. Now in his third season at Denver, the Panthers’ 2022 seventh-round draft pick continues to improve his game and offensive production.

The 20-year-old is one of the hottest talents in the country right now, but he remains humble — crediting much of his individual success to his teammates. 

“I think I’ve been really fortunate to play with two amazing teammates this year — Massimo [Rizzo] and McKade Webster,” Devine told Five Reasons Sports. “They’ve done a great job setting me up and putting me in great positions and I’m super thankful for the other teammates that I’ve been fortunate to play with.”

The Panthers are sure to be more than happy with the way Devine is developing at Denver, but looking back to his draft year, he was very close to going undrafted. 

Florida selected Devine with their final pick of the 2022 NHL Draft — taking the American forward 221st overall. If Devine didn’t go to the Panthers, there were just four picks remaining in the draft. 

Rather than wanting to show teams who passed on him what they could’ve had, Devine said he’s focused on representing both the Panthers and the Pioneers.

“I think in the moment I was just super lucky to be drafted by Florida and happy that they took a chance and opportunity on me,” Devine said. “I just want to be able to go out there and represent them well.”

He added. “When I’m here with the University of Denver it’s focusing on being a Pioneer and being a player here. I’ve been fortunate enough to develop with our coaches and our staff. I definitely give a lot of credit to them as they’ve helped me improve my game drastically.”

Over the summer, Devine was one of the biggest standouts at the Panthers’ Development Camp in Coral Springs. Between the explosiveness in his skating and his rapidly quick shot release — Devine turned some heads at the Panthers IceDen.

“It’s a great experience to come in, meet the staff and some other players, start to build those relationships,” Devine said. “It’s definitely a competitive week. You kind of get to assess you against some of the other guys in Europe and the CHL… The coaching there’s also elite and if I could take two or three things from there and put that into my season, I think it’s a successful week of camp.”

Jack Devine at Florida’s 2023 Development Camp dodgeball tournament (Photo courtesy of the Florida Panthers)

The current Panthers front office has done a fantastic job at finding NHL players who have flown under the radar and turning them into important pieces for the organization. Led by general manager Bill Zito, Florida has found diamonds in the rough at the pro level, like Gustav Forsling and Carter Verhaeghe — both of whom are top-minute players for the Panthers.

A late-round pick himself, Devine may just be another stealthy find by the staff in Sunrise.  

“That’s something you look at. I think they’ve done a great job with the talent they have on their team and the talent in their system,” Devine said regarding the Panthers’ player development. “It kind of shows how they were able to make it to the Stanley Cup Final last year. That’s obviously something you pay attention to and watch because they have such tremendous players.”

The goal for any athlete, no matter the sport, is to win championships. The University of Denver men’s hockey program is no stranger to that. Their nine NCAA National Hockey Championships are tied for the most all-time with the Michigan Wolverines.

Devine already has one national championship under his belt — winning the 2022 title in his freshman year. 

This season, Devine and the Pioneers have a great chance to get back to that stage. With the nation’s top-two leading scorers and the fourth ranked team in the country, the vibes are good in Denver. 

“I think it’s been a lot of fun. When you have such a tight group like we have, you go out there and you play with some of your best friends,” Devine said. “I think it’s also enjoyable when you’re winning, I think hockey’s a lot of fun when you’re doing that. The more success we have as a team, the more it would be fun for me.” 

The Pioneers are just about two-thirds of the way through the regular season. With the final stretch of the year approaching, playoffs are just around the corner and with that, the end of Devine’s junior year. 

“As you come in as a freshman, people say it flies by. I think it really has so far into my junior year,”  Devine said. “These last 20 games, just enjoy it, take it one game at a time and hopefully at the end of the year, win another national championship.”