Top Panthers prospect Jack Devine to make NHL debut against Devils
NHL debuts are always fun – and that’s especially the case when it’s your team’s top prospect.
As reported by Florida Panthers team reporter Jameson Olive, coach Paul Maurice has confirmed that Jack Devine will play his first regular season game when the Panthers take on the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
Jack Devine will make his NHL debut tomorrow, per Maurice.
Likely on 4th line with Kunin and Gregor.
Devine is in his first year of pro hockey, having registered 12 points in 13 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He joined the club last spring and put up two assists in three regular season games, as well as five points in seven postseason outings.
Selected 221st overall in 2022, Devine quickly became one of the team’s bright young talents. He had a 19-point freshman season at the University of Denver in 2021-22, which led to his first of two NCAA national titles. He won another two years later, where he also finished as a Hobey Baker Award finalist. He’d do the same last season after leading the nation with 44 assists and 57 points, although Denver fell short of another title.
Prior to college, Devine was a standout with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s U-17 squad in 2019-20. Injuries limited his action with the U-18 team, leading him to fall from becoming a potential first-rounder to instead being taken with one of the last picks.
Devine is expected to play alongside Luke Kunin and Noah Gregor on Florida’s fourth line. The team is currently decimated by injuries, with both Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk out long-term. The Panthers also confirmed that forward Eetu Luostarinen is out week-to-week after suffering burns from a barbecue accident, while Cole Schwindt will require surgery after breaking his arm.
Florida will host New Jersey on Thursday before welcoming the Edmonton Oilers to town for a Stanley Cup rematch on Saturday.
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