General | 11/20/2025 11:00:00 PM


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United States Hockey League (USHL) alumni Jack Devine and Stephen Halliday made their NHL debuts for the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators, respeitvely, on Thursday, Nov. 20.

Devine, a Glencoe, Ill. native, was a two-year player with the NTDP. He had seven goals and 27 assists in 42 USHL games before spending four seasons at the University of Denver, where he was a two-time national champion. He averaged more than a point per game in his four seasons with the Pioneers. The Panthers selected Devine in the seventh round of the 2022 NHL Draft.

Halliday played four seasons in the USHL, two years of college hockey at Ohio State, and one full season in the American Hockey League (NHL) before his debut for Ottawa. The Ajax, Ontario native was on the roster for the Central Illinois Flying Aces during their final season in 2018-19 before playing three full years for Dubuque. His 215 points are the most in the league’s Tier-I era, and he ranks among the top five all-time in goals (68) and assists (147), accordingly. At Ohio State, Halliday had 19 goals and 58 assists in 78 games. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators.

About the USHL

The United States Hockey League (USHL) and its 16 teams are committed to being the world’s leading junior hockey league. This season, more than 50% of NCAA Division I men’s hockey players and nearly 25% of NHL players have USHL experience. The USHL has developed more than 285 direct NHL Draft picks since 2020, and eight of the last 10 Hobey Baker Award winners, including Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel).

Elevated through the recently announced Declaration of Excellence with the NHL and USA Hockey, the league’s player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 92% of games played on weekends, provides its players with the optimal environment for athletic and personal growth, creating pathways for the next generation of stars like Auston Matthews (NTDP), Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede), and Johnny Gaudreau (Dubuque Fighting Saints).