The Gopher Hockey Team recently received news that Jack Glover, a 6-2 170 pound right-handed defenseman from Golden Valley, Minnesota has committed to the Gophers.
The Gopher Hockey Team recently received news that Jack Glover, a 6-2 170 pound right-handed defenseman from Golden Valley, Minnesota has committed to the Gophers. As a sophomore this past season for the State Champion Benilde-St. Margaret’s squad, Glover finished with 2 goals and 16 assists. Glover, who now is a junior, moved to Ann Arbor to play with the United States National Development Team this year. Glover isn’t expected to join the Gophers until at least 2014.
Gopher Hole: First off, why did you choose the U of M?
Jack Glover: I always grew up watching the Gophers play and going to the Gopher games and it was always a big dream of mine to play there. I think playing in front of your home crowd with your friends and family there is a really big deal for me. The U has also had a great track record with many great players going through there. Everything about being in your home state, especially playing at Mariucci Arena, was enough to get me to go there.
Gopher Hole: What other schools did you consider? Did you take any other visits besides Minnesota?
Jack Glover: I visited Wisconsin, Michigan, and Notre Dame as well as Minnesota. It came down between Minnesota and Notre Dame.
Gopher Hole: How was the United States National Development Team (USNDT) helped you progress as a player so far?
Jack Glover: I think it’s helped me a lot of different ways. It has helped me mature as a player playing against older guys every night. You have less time to make decisions and have bigger guys come at you and kind of beat up on you in the corners. Many of the kids we’re playing are nineteen and twenty years old. It has helped me grow a lot physically. I think it just helps you develop so much more playing guys with so much more experience than you. It helps you catch up to them a little bit and get ahead of kid’s your own age. I think just playing against the older competition has helped me physically as a whole. The coaches are great out here and I’ve learned so much from them. It has really benefited me a lot.
Gopher Hole: For fans that don’t know your style of play, can you give us a brief summary of your playing style?
Jack Glover: I’m kind of an offensive minded defenseman. I like to have the puck on my stick a lot; I try to get the puck up to the forwards as quickly and easily as I can. I try to join the rush a lot, I like playing the point in the power play, and I like making plays. But, usually my job as defense is just getting the puck to the forwards as quickly as I can and let them do their thing and chip in offensively whenever I can.
Gopher Hole: Was it cool to have former teammate at Benilde-St. Margaret’s and now current teammate at USNDT Ryan Collins commit as well this past weekend?
Jack Glover: Yeah. It’s going to be really awesome having him there. It’s a big dream for both of us and we weren’t necessarily thinking about going to the same school. I think that it just worked out and we both happen to have the same reasons for going to the U and it will be great having him there with me for sure.
Gopher Hole: Did you guys talk to each other before making any decisions or did it work out that way?
Jack Glover: Yeah. We definitely made our own decisions individually and definitely didn’t see where each other was going before a decision was made. I think we both made our decisions on our own and it just happened to work out that we both picked the same place.
Gopher Hole: What’s one thing your extremely excited for at the U?
Jack Glover: Definitely playing at Mariucci Arena and playing in front of hometown fans and the hometown atmosphere with your friends and family. I definitely excited to go home and play in front of them.