Devellano is originally from the Toronto area, growing up in the Cabbagetown and Scarborough areas. In 1959, he dropped out of high school after failing grade 9 algebra, and found work in the Toronto garment district for 80 cents an hour. He also spent time coaching and playing hockey, and closely followed the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlboros.\n', '

In the 1960s, Devellano was employed by the Canadian government as a claims adjuster. During his frequent business trips, Devellano watched as many major junior hockey games as he could, and eventually found a job with the St. Louis Blues, working on spec (essentially no guaranteed compensation) as an amateur scout for general manager Lynn Patrick and head scout Frank Mario. Devellano and Patrick had met in person during the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft in Montreal. One of the first players Devellano recommended, Gary Edwards, was drafted in the first round by the Blues in the 1968 NHL Draft. Also a part of the Blues organization at the time was Scotty Bowman, who was first an assistant coach and assistant general manager, and later head coach of the Blues.\n', '

In 1972 Devellano was hired by general manager Bill Torrey and head scout Ed Chadwick as an Eastern Canada scout for the expansion New York Islanders. In his first season, he scouted "no-brainer" number 1 overall pick Denis Potvin, whom the Islanders selected in the 1973 NHL Draft. Devellano also played a role in nominating Al Arbour, a former player in St. Louis, to be Islanders head coach. In 1974, Devellano was promoted to Director of Scouting, where he would be overseeing the Islanders drafts. He also served as general manager for the Islanders minor league affiliate, the Indianapolis Checkers of the Central Hockey League. In 1981, Devellano was named Assistant General Manager of the Islanders after Stanley Cup championships in 1980 and 1981. After winning the Stanley Cup again in 1982, Devellano invested his playoff bonus of $25,000 into Maple Leaf Gardens Limited.\n', '

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