By Russ Cohen
Jack Devine was drafted with the 221st overall in 2022. I won’t lie. I really liked the prospect but I also knew that he was rail thin and was one of the youngest in his draft class. Translation: He was going to take some time to reach his peak. And he’s not there yet.
I thought he was good last year and I noticed he was much stronger than his draft year. That’s the beauty of playing college hockey at a great place like Denver. But just getting physically stronger isn’t enough.
I felt he always had the offensive talent. He’s a smart player, a hard worker, and his teammates love him. He gets better as the game goes on and adjustments are made. Some want to credit his teammates for his great year but that’s not fair. He’s got 54 points in 39 games (10th in the nation) and is a Top 10 Finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
All your draft picks count and he has a chance to be an NHL late in the draft. For Florida, that would be amazing since they’ve traded so many picks to stay in the Stanley Cup run.
Let’s see what kind of player he is in the next few years.
