VANCOUVER – It's already been a September full of opportunity for Austin Glover as the first-year men's hockey forward takes part in the Edmonton Oilers rookie camp starting this weekend in Penticton.
"I've been really looking forward to this throughout the summer, I'm going to make the most of it and see what happens," said Glover.
Following an impressive final WHL season that saw him put up 58 points in 69 games split between the Prince Albert Raiders and Red Deer Rebels, the 6'2", 190-pound forward was invited to compete for Edmonton at the annual Young Stars Classic tournament featuring the top prospects from the Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Winnipeg Jets.
"He's had a terrific junior career and it was great him and his agent were able to find a team that believes in him and will give him a chance," said UBC head coach
Sven Butenschon.
"We're really excited for him. I hope he does well and gains a lot of experience, wisdom and confidence. He's going to go there and have to battle and compete. He'll be surrounded by a bunch of great hockey players and hopefully he can come back and bring that experience to the rest of the group."
Glover hopes to stick around with the Oilers as long as possible but is also looking forward to beginning his Canada West career with UBC, knowing that a professional career is still a possibility down the road.
"I want to excel in academics but I also want to keep hockey a big part of my life," said Glover who attended his first classes at UBC earlier this week.
"It's going to be a really competitive season. For me to start things off at a tournament like this that's really intense and with such a high skill level, I think it'll help me get into the right mindset for the start of the season."
UBC opens up pre-season play by kicking off the inaugural Captains Cup against the Simon Fraser Clan on Friday, September 15
th at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
The T-Birds begin the Canada West regular season on Saturday, October 7 against the Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg.
