Getting to Know Jack Malone

So last week I asked on Twitter which USHL draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks people wanted to see more of or hear more about and the winner of that poll was Jack Malone. Malone was selected 180th in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and was the third player selected by the Canucks in the sixth round. I got in contact with Jack and also decided to create a full weekend about him because as I mentioned to Jack, Canucks fans are very passionate about all of our prospects and I knew that chatting with him would help us understand the player and person that he is that’s where I got the idea for the #WeekendOfMalone.

Jack was born in Danville, California which is about 30 minutes away from San Francisco before moving to New Jersey when he was six years old where he grew up playing hockey with his cousins and other family members. He was able to play on outdoor rinks and fell in love with hockey as a small child. He attended Delbarton prep school which has a reputation for boasting one of the most prestigious prep school hockey programs in the northeastern United States.

Jack played baseball and soccer growing up but once he started playing hockey at a competitive level he dove in 100% and fully committed to being the best player that he could be. He believed that going to the batting cages with his dad as a kid helped him develop his hand-eye coordination and is proud to be a Delbarton alumni, calling his time at the school an amazing experience that he will never forget.

Jack played on one of if not the best line in the USHL this season as a part of the Youngstown Phantoms, playing right wing  alongside Buffalo Sabres left wing prospect Brett Murray and centre Connor MacEachern. All three of those players ranked in the top 20 of scoring in the USHL and Malone was known as the passer on the line, sometimes to a fault.

When speaking to the play-by-play voice of the Phantoms, a common refrain was that Malone’s peers wished he would shoot more, something Malone was keenly aware of:

He has a great shot but one of his best skills is the ability to use his body to hold off defenders and move the puck in deep. Malone has quick feet and a strong stride and was able to create space between himself and defenders as he made his way into the offensive zone on plenty of rushes this year.

I asked him about development camp and when I asked who stuck out he said “Well everybody, there was a lot of great players there, the second rounder Höglander there was very skilled”.

Jack plans to attend Cornell University in the fall to attend the Dyson business school as he majors in applied economics and management. Jack has always wanted to go down the business path after growing up going to the office with his father often and was always attracted to that type of work as he plans for the future.

Overall, Jack seems like a great kid with a strong future as a Canucks prospect who he will be fun to follow in the NCAA for the next few seasons. If you’re interested in 25 GIFs of Jack this season I will leave the link to the Twitter thread with all of them and also the full interview is available through podcast form on all the major podcast apps, which I will link as well.