The start to Ty Glover’s junior hockey journey wasn’t exactly uncommon, but where it has taken him since has been.
He’s set to play junior hockey in the United States next season before he heads to Western Michigan University in the fall of 2020, but it’s been a long road up until this point.
After getting selected by the Flint Firebirds in the 15th round of the 2016 OHL draft, Glover suited up for the GOJHL’s Strathroy Rockets as a 16-year-old, with his sights set on making the OHL club the following year.
But a successful rookie season with Strathroy wasn’t enough for Glover to secure an OHL spot and he was faced with a tough decision, play another year of junior ‘B’ or take a step back and play Major Midget with the hopes of earning an NCAA scholarship.
He decided on the latter, and says it was one of the tougher decisions he’s had to make, but he’s better off for it.
“Once I figured I wasn’t going to make Flint, talking with my parents, we decided that looking at the NCAA route would be the best option, and taking a small step back would be better for me in the long run.”
Typically, 16- and 17-year-olds who don’t make a junior, head back for another year of development in hopes of cracking a junior roster the following year. With a year of junior hockey already under his belt, some questioned why he would go back and play with kids his age.
“I felt like it was the best for me. I had a great season and was able to gain a ton of confidence, which really helped me going into camp with Buffalo.”
With that regained confidence, Glover had a standout season with 42 points in 28 regular season games. That caught the eye of scouts with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the OJHL.
From there, his development has really taken off.
He was invited to represent Canada in the World Jr. A Hockey Challenge, a team comprised of the top Canadians playing tier two junior ‘A.’
The recognition didn’t stop there. With 19 goals and 42 points, Glover was named the OJHL’s top prospect at the year-end banquet, and has also seen his name appear on the radar of central scouting ahead of the NHL draft.
He’s ranked 215th among North American skaters ahead of this weekend’s draft.
Glover says he’s honoured to gain the attention of NHL scouts, but is trying to keep his expectations in check.
“I’ll likely be keeping an eye — I know I have an outside chance of being taken so I’m trying not to get my hopes up. It’ll be neat to get drafted but at the end of the day, it isn’t something I’m too worried about.”
In the meantime, Glover say his sights are already set on next season, where he will play for the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League. He was selected in the second round of the USHL Phase Two draft and will play a season with the Stars before he attends Western Michigan University.
He’s committed to the program for the 2020-21 season.
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