David Deputy finds himself in his third junior season and he’s yet to experience playoff hockey, but he’s hoping to change that this spring
David Deputy has played 96 games in his USHL career in addition to 60 in the NAHL. However, there’s one thing the Illinois native has never experienced at the junior level: Playoff hockey.
If the current standings are any indication, Deputy is well on his way to changing that, as Muskegon is currently second in the Eastern Conference with 57 points and 19 games left.
The Lumberjacks are 6-3-1 over their past 10 and have points in four straight, and Deputy has played a key role in the recent success.
The Miami commit has seven goals and 23 points through his first 21 games with the Jacks, including 18 points (7-11-18) over his past 11 games. And while he doesn’t want to look too far ahead, he’s excited to play meaningful hockey down the stretch.
“I think the main reason I wanted to be traded was to go to a contender that’s gonna have a chance at winning the Clark Cup,” Deputy said Wednesday afternoon. “That was huge for me to come here and be a part of the winning culture they have here.”
Deputy was officially acquired on Dec. 1 after playing 21 games with the Omaha Lancers – where he had 16 points (7-9-16). He put up 18-17-35 over 54 games last season and those 18 goals ranked second on Omaha’s roster. He was Omaha’s leading scorer at the time of the trade too.
However, Omaha got off to a 6-14-2 start this season – which has continued spiraling downward – and Deputy was searching for a new opportunity.
The 20-year-old forward thought Muskegon would be a ‘great spot’ for his development and he wanted to join a team that could win instantly. So far he’s found exactly that.
“The first couple months have been unreal,” he said. “Obviously the team’s a little better than my previous one and the facilities and everything that comes with being a Lumberjack was everything it was presented as and more. So it’s been great and I think this organization is the best one in the USHL, and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
Deputy quipped he was never a top prospect coming out of AAA and he’s had to earn everything. He scored 23 goals and put him 53 points in his lone NAHL season with the Philadelphia Rebels, and Omaha took him in the second round of the 2023 USHL Phase II Draft.
Deputy said his year in Philadelphia was huge for his confidence and learning the junior game, and he wanted to prove he could produce at the USHL level the past two seasons. Along with wanting to win.
Luckily for him, Muskegon’s staff identified him as a player that could help accomplish the latter, and head coach Parker Burgess has long appreciated his game too. Deputy attended multiple Janesville Jets (NAHL) camps while Burgess was there and had heard nothing but good things from Deputy’s previous coaches.
“He’s been such a great acquisition for us and he’s only continued to get better,” Burgess said. “He’s a leader and he’s someone that comes to the rink every day with a smile on his face, and he has a ton of gratitude. He got his start in the North American Hockey League and he made the most of his opportunity, and he did the same thing in Omaha.
“So I think bringing that gratitude and his work ethic to the rink rubs off on our younger players, and his teammates respect him as a veteran player. Obviously he’s scored some big goals for us and he has a ton of versatility too, so he’s just been a great addition for our group.”
He’s been a valuable addition to Muskegon’s lineup too, especially with his versatility and dependability. Deputy has moved around the lineup a bit throughout his first 21 games and played a number of different roles, and he’s currently found a home on the right side of Muskegon’s top line.
However, he’s willing to play wherever helps his team the most, and he takes pride in filling that role.
“I think right from the time I got here I’ve wanted to just do anything they needed,” Deputy said. “I’m an older guy and I’ve played a lot of junior hockey, so being able to add that veteran experience to a young team was a big thing.
“The production has kinda taken off in a big way the last few weeks, but I think the biggest thing has been just being able to fill any role they need me to do. Whether that’s a third-line checking role, penalty kill, power play, first-line role – just whatever they need me to do.”
“When you're a coach you're looking for guys that give you consistency and reliability, and he's someone you can trust in any situation," Burgess added. “You know what you're going to get out of David every time you put him on the ice, and he's effective in whatever he does. That's an invaluable quality for a player to have."
Now Deputy wants to continue contributing down the stretch and his primary focus is helping his team win.
He admits he didn’t know a ton about Muskegon’s organization or the city before the trade, but with two months under his belt in western Michigan, he feels right at home. He’s hoping his time in Muskegon will stretch deep into the spring too.
“I’m excited to really get to play some meaningful games coming up here,” Deputy said. “I’m really looking forward to getting into the playoffs and trying to win a championship, and I couldn’t be more excited about the way that we’re playing and the direction we’re heading.”