PensBurgh Top 25 Under 25: #22 - Ty Glover

The 2022 version of our Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25 countdown list continues with Ty Glover, an undrafted player signed in free agency out of Western Michigan University.

Related: 2022 Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed

#25: Nolan Collins

#24: Colin Swoyer

#23: Jonathan Gruden

#22: Ty Glover - C

Age: 21 (October 1, 2000)

Acquired Via: 2022 free agency (signed to three-year, $859k ELC on March 29)

Height/Weight: 6’3” / 201 pounds

The Penguins grabbed Glover out of free agency after two years and 63 games at Western Michigan University.

In his sophomore season, the winger put up 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 39 games, highlighted by two goals in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) semifinal.

“He’s a great big, exciting ball of energy. He just walks into the locker room, smiling every day. He brings a work ethic and just a presence of a love for the game about him and its really infectious.

Ty’s kind of behind the scenes in terms of our star players, but he’s improved a ton and I think he’s a year or two away from an NHL contract. He’s hyper competitive.” —Pat Ferschweiler, WMU head coach, after Glover scored twice in the NCHC semifinals in March, via The Rink Live

Chris Peters of Hockey Sense floated the idea the Penguins jumped to sign Glover after his sophomore season, when he ranked ninth among WMU teammates in points, with the idea Glover could attract more competing NHL suitors with a potentially stronger junior season.

The above goal, which helped Glover secure a spot on the NCHC Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team, represents something director of player development Tom Kostopoulos says is Glover’s “bread and butter,” according to Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports: his net-front presence.

He’s big, he’s strong, he’s good in front of the net... Pittsburgh fans throw around the name Hornqvist too often, probably because the Penguins have never quite been able to replace him. But the Penguins could use a similar tenacious presence in the paint, and that makes 21-year-old Glover an intriguing development project.

Glover has bounced all over the place in the world of minor-league hockey. He was drafted by the Flint Firebirds in round 15 of the 2016 OHL draft, but never got the call up to the OHL, despite putting up 30 points in 50 games with the GOJHL’s Strathroy Rockets.

From jj980 of Global News in 2019:

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...

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.

The gamble worked. His 42 points in 28 games with the London Jr. Knights was good enough to get him a bid with the OJHL.

Then, despite being named the OJHL’s top prospect by the Ontario Hockey Association, and ranked No. 215 in the 2019 NHL Central Scouting Final Ranking, Glover did not get selected in the 2019 NHL draft.

But once again, the center did not give up. He used his OJHL success to earn a spot with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars. Check out this baseball goal from his time in the USHL— Glover’s got hands.

His development may not have taken the typical trajectory, but Glover successfully got himself on NHL radars once again after two seasons and some impressive goals, passes and screens in the NCAA.

Glover made his AHL debut with two games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in late 2022, but his first true AHL bid will come in 2022-23.

Nick Hart, for the WBS Penguins, said Glover was “filling the net all week” at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton development camp, including “a blazing shot during a breakaway in scrimmage.”

The Penguins’ signing of Glover to a three-year contract this spring indicates the team sees him as a longer-term development project.

His hands, his size and net-front presence make it easy to see the potential in Glover. In his upcoming AHL season, he will have a chance to show the Penguins just how close he is to making these skills effective at the NHL level.