SMOOTH AS GLASS

On July 13th Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced the team had signed a young defenseman by the name of Trevor Glass. While most Pack fans don’t know his name, they soon will.

Glass is 6’0 and 197 pounds hailing from Cochrane, Alberta Canada. Glass knows what it’s like to be part of a winning program. In ‘07-‘08, Glass won a Memorial Cup as a member of the Medicine Hat Tigers and in ‘06-‘07 he also helped the Tigers win the WHL Championship and got the the Memorial Cup finals but came up short. Incidentally, his linemate on defense that year? Michael Sauer.

Jess Rubenstein of The Prospect Park, our eyes and ears for all things concerning the juniors, told us of Glass the day he signed, "What Hartford fans will like about Trevor is that he comes to work every night, never afraid to give or receive a hit if it means he can make a play. Really good player to have on a team as he can be used in a variety of ways and give you a strong performance.

Five of his six goals last season were on the power play but his defense is mainly the strongest part of his game. Smart defender who does not get caught out of position.”

Howlings caught up with the Pack’s newest defenseman as he prepares for his first professional season and asked him if he could take us through how you became a member of the Rangers organization?

When I was 14, the Rangers rookie camp was held in my hometown of Calgary and they needed a team to play their rookies against. My brother’s agent put a team together with his clients and I was asked to play. It gave me my first shot at playing hockey against professional players. I must have made some sort of good impression because after my last season of junior where we lost out in the 2nd round of playoffs, I was approached and signed an Amateur Try-Out (ATO) contract to play with the Hartford Wolf Pack. I went and was able to get to know the city and practice with the team during their playoff run. It was then a process of negotiations with teams throughout the summer, but we were able to come to terms with the Wolf Pack right before the 2009 NHL draft.

Based upon the various youtube clips we’ve seen of you, it seems like you’re a VERY physical defenseman. Is that how you would describe your game?

I would like to consider myself a two way defenseman that will take care of the defensive end first, but jump into the play when the opportunity is there. I always enjoy catching someone off guard with a big hit, but it’s not something I will put myself out of position for. On the other hand if the chance is there, I will definitely try to capitalize.

What inspired you to become a defenseman?

I think because my brother’s a goalie.  I always wanted to make sure his confidence was high because he knew there was someone in the defensive zone he could trust to make the right play.

You had to know this question was coming. Who are some of the players that you’ve modeled yourself after?

(Laughs) I don’t think I can say that I have a particular mold or style of player that I want to model my game after.  But I have been very fortunate to play with some very talented defensemen throughout my junior career who taught me a lot. Cam Barker was very poised. Chris Russell had amazing speed and knew just when to jump in the play. Both are very smart defensemen with different styles that I would like to adapt into my game.

How will fans know from watching you play when you’re really on your game on any particular night? In other words when things are going right for you what will we be seeing…?

When I am on my game I am very confident with everything that I do being more on my toes then my heels. I think it just comes down to small things like being more aggressive in every aspect of the game from having a good gap to finishing checks to jumping in the play when the opportunity is there.

What are you goals for this season? How will you measure your own level of success for the coming year?

My goals for this season are to make an impact right off the bat and to continue to develop as a player. Last year the Hartford Wolf Pack finished off the season with a strong record. I’d like to be a contributing factor to improving on that this year. I fully believe it will be a very good team again. Also, I’m  hoping that my playoff experience will help the team have a long and successful post season.

What have you learned to this point as to how they play the game in Hartford and how do you think you’ll fit in?

The couple of weeks that I was in Hartford I learned that the team plays a high paced, quick transition game that I think I will fit into well. The coaching style was very similar to what I have been taught throughout my junior career and that will make the transition much easier. Getting the chance to go there and meet the coaches and the team was perfect for me. Now I can go there feeling more comfortable with my environment and just focus on playing my game.

Lastly, what have you been doing this summer to get yourself ready for camp?

Living in Calgary for the summer is great for hockey. It’s such a major training center for so many hockey players that I have found it really easy to find good ice time with skilled players. It keeps you honest being in a environment like that with so many good players around you always pushing you to do your best on the ice and in the gym. Another thing I have taken up this summer that is becoming more popular with hockey players here is hot yoga. Its something that my brother has taken in the past and has said it has greatly helped with flexibility and muscle endurance so I figured I would give it a shot.

Expect Trevor Glass to make quite the impact in Hartford when the season kicks off in early October.

(Photo courtesy of mastercardmemorialcup.com)