University of Minnesota Athletics
Around the Rink: Justin Kloos
11/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) - Eight games into this senior season and Gopher Hockey team captain Justin Kloos has the Gophers ranked in the top 10 of both national polls following a big weekend against North Dakota at Mariucci Arena.
A native of Lakeville, Minn., Kloos is one of the top scorers in college hockey - ranking third among active NCAA skaters with 113 points (47 goals, 66 assists) in 125 career games. Now a two-year captain for the Gophers, Kloos led the team with a career high 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) last year as a junior.
GopherSports.com caught up with Kloos to talk about his second go-round as the leader of the Maroon & Gold.
GopherSports: You're now in your second year as the captain at the University of Minnesota. How is your second year different from your first?
Justin Kloos: It's nice to have that year under my belt. I think I'm a lot more comfortable in the role after going through it last year. Last year was really a learning experience for me - figuring out how the team reacts to certain things and how I react to things too. Everything we went through last year makes this year easier, and I think as a team and individually we've all matured and grown from the ups and downs of last year.
GS: You followed Nate Condon and Kyle Rau as the captain of this program, and you've stayed in contact with them since taking over the 'C'. How much have they helped you as you continue to develop?
JK: They've been a huge help - just getting feedback from them and bending their ears on things that happened when they were here. I talked to them a lot last year, and I still keep in contact with them. They know what it's like to play here and be put under the microscope like we are sometimes. Even if it's not about hockey, it's incredibly helpful to have those guys as sounding boards. Especially last year when our captains were all relatively inexperienced - those guys were great when we were transitioning.
GS: You are one of six seniors on this year's team, and one thing that is clear to people who see you off the ice is that your class really gets along as a whole. How much does that chemistry help you on the ice?
JK: We've been together since our first day of freshman year, so we've been through a lot as a group. Obviously, we lost Hudson (Fasching) and (Michael) Brodzinski after last year, but that's part of hockey, and we're happy for those guys. We're a tightly-knit group, and we're all really comfortable with each other on and off the ice. It's a big advantage to take the ice with guys you know will put it on the line when it counts - that'll eat a puck or doing whatever it takes to help the team win. I've been really lucky to play with these guys for the last couple years, and I know we all want to go out on a high note.
GS: On the opposite side of that - what do you as a captain and an upperclassman do to help the newcomers adjust when they could very easily get overwhelmed with everything that comes with being a college hockey freshman?
JK: It's a lot different this year than last year just because we don't have such a large class of newcomers. We just make sure the new guys are comfortable - make sure they are included in everything on the ice, off the ice, at team meals, doing community service, stuff like that. It's our job to make sure they understand what it means to be part of this program, just like we were taught by the older guys when we were freshmen. I know when we got here, having the support of the older guys and knowing they were there to help us out was a big deal to the younger guys.
The No. 7/8 Gophers return to action with a home-and-home series against Minnesota State, Nov. 18-19. Tickets for the series finale at Mariucci Arena (Saturday, Nov. 19, Time TBA) can be purchased through MyGopherSports.com or by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER.
