Denver's Jack Devine looking forward to senior season with Pioneers, future with the Panthers

After finishing this past season leading the Pioneers in points and guiding them to a national championship, Devine is ready for his senior season

Jack Devine's connection to the Pioneers began long before he stepped onto campus. 

A native of Glencoe, IL., a suburb about 40 minutes north of Chicago, Devine was in attendance at the United Center on April 8, 2017, when Denver won the national championship game against Minnesota-Duluth. 

"I was actually at the national championship game in 2017 when they won it so, for me that game, I kind of fell in love with the program," Devine said in a recent phone interview. 

Playing his minor hockey with the Chicago Mission, Devine was a standout player during his 14U and 15U seasons with the team. 

On a 14U team that included players such as Sean Behrens, Davis Burnside and Jack Silich, Devine led the team in points, scoring nine goals and adding 17 assists for 26 points in 20 games. 

Naturally, Devine caught the attention of coaches and scouts alike. 

After finishing a player development camp in the summer entering his 15U season, he received a call from the Pioneers.

"I got a phone call from Tavis (MacMillan) in D.C. and they asked me if I wanted to come out and see the campus," he said. 

Devine hopped at the opportunity to visit. 

"They brought me through the campus and I think for me, I just loved the coaching staff. Still to this day, obviously," Devine mentioned with a laugh. "I just knew how personable they were and how open and honest they were. I think for me, I’m a guy who understands how important education is so, I think it was a great balance of high quality academics and then it was an unbelievable program with a lot of history there."

After his campus tour, Devine's experience confirmed his love for the program and he knew he wanted to be a Pioneer. 

"That was a pretty cool thing for me to get an offer only a couple years after watching them win," he said. 

Fast forward to today and Devine is one of, if not, the most important player on the Pioneers. A 2022 seventh-round pick of the Florida Panthers, Devine has taken massive steps in his game since hearing his name called in Montreal.

"I wasn’t really sure who I was going to get drafted by," Devine said. "You know the kind of saying ‘it only takes one team to like you’ so I knew there was a little bit of interest because I interviewed with them [Florida] at the combine but it was definitely a surreal feeling once I got drafted."

Leading the team with 56 points, Devine helped guide Denver to their second national championship in the last three years on April 13.

With it almost being a month since the team won the championship, Devine knows how special it was to have taken home the title.

"I think the first week was a little bit like you don’t even realize it, but when you kind of take a step back that second and third week, you really understand how special it was," he mentioned. "I think for us, all year, we knew getting to 10 (national championships) was something extremely special and something that not only what our team did but the history that was built 50-60 years before us. We know how incredible that was."

In a tournament that sees the best teams in the country take the ice in a win or go home format, the energy and intensity was something Devine noticed every game. 

"No one takes a shift off. Everyone is going as hard as they can so it’s a battle every game," he said. 

Although the intensity may have thrown other teams off, the Pioneers were well prepared for all that teams had to throw at them. 

"I think we were fortunate this year to be battle-tested a little bit earlier on in the season and be battle-tested early on in the playoffs," Devine said.

In reflecting further on what the win meant to him, Devine also pointed out the memories he created on the ice. 

"It was definitely crazy intensity and extremely memorable with Brozer (Tristan Broz) scoring that double OT goal against UMass and that save Matty (Matt Davis) had against Cornell," Devine said. "And then we get another OT winner from Brozer and then that championship game was unreal so it was pretty special."

With the Apr. 22 announcement that Devine would be returning for his senior season, he mentioned he made the decision to return after consulting those in his inner circle. 

"I think it was talking to the coaching staff here, their people there and ultimately for me, I think it was where I thought was best for me and my development both as a player and as a person," Devine said. "Obviously, they’re a great organization and one day my dream is to be a Florida Panther but I know here I’ve had a great opportunity to develop and I love the coaching staff, I love the people, I love my teammates. I just thought another year under my belt could do really strong things for me."

As he enters the offseason, Devine mentioned his skating as one thing he wanted to improve upon.

“I think I’ve seen great strides in my skating the last couple years especially being stronger, older and bigger, that kind of development. I think for me, it’s my first couple of strides," he said.  "I know I’ve got pretty good top-end speed but if I can get there a little quicker, I know I can get some separation on guys and really be able to create space out there on the ice for myself.”

While he remains focused on the task at hand, Devine knows the pro game will soon come calling his name.

"I think for me it just brings a lot of excitement for whenever I get my chance to hopefully represent the {Florida Panthers] organization and I can help them in a playoff race," he said.

With his final chapter with the Pioneers on the horizon, Devine is swinging big for the fences when it comes to what he wants to accomplish next season.

"I think it starts with one thing, going back to back. That’s the goal from the get go," he said. "I think for me, almost no one has been able to win three national championships in four years so being able to cement myself in the Denver history books, same as a guy like Matty Davis, Connor Caponi, that would be pretty special."

Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' NCAA Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.