Jack O’Brien made an impact over his five seasons playing junior hockey with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.

Now, it’s onward and upward for the Highlands Ranch native, who signed his first pro contract last week with the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders.

The Heartlanders are the ECHL affiliates of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

Undrafted, O’Brien represented the Winterhawks as an alternate captain each of the last two seasons as he helped Portland win two U.S. Division titles and a Western Conference championship during his time with the club.

O’Brien was named a co-recipient of the 2023-24 Winterhawks Award, presented annually to the player(s) who best exemplify character, leadership, heart and soul. He scored 63 goals and 131 assists in 255 career regular-season games. He became the 34th Winterhawk all-time to dress in 250 games and his 194 points are the eighth-most in Winterhawks history among U.S.-born skaters.

The two-way centreman also recorded 25 points in 38 career WHL playoff contests, including 11 this past spring en route to the 2024 WHL Championship Series.

O’Brien originally signed with Portland in November 2018 following his first Winterhawks Neely Cup training camp and broke into the league as a 16-year-old during the 2019-20 season. He won an unprecedented four Neely Cup championships during his time in Portland.

In 2021, O’Brien skated at the Colorado Avalanche Development Camp.

Photo/Keith Dwiggins

(July 28, 2024)