Sunday Q&A: Justin Kloos, Gophers hockey recruit

The Gophers men's hockey team hasn't made the NCAA tournament in three seasons. Yet as the Frozen Four took place in St. Paul last week without it, the team made some news. Lakeville South junior Justin Kloos gave the Gophers a verbal commitment on Wednesday. The 5-9, 170-pound forward scored 90 points for the Cougars this season. Kloos is playing now with Waterloo of the USHL but still takes classes at Lakeville South. On game days and for road trips, he makes the three-hour commute. Kloos talked this week with the Star Tribune's Brian Stensaas.Q How does it feel to make your verbal commitment official?

A I've got a lot of work to do before I get out onto that rink, but this is a little bit of a reward for some hard work so far.

Q Take me through the recruiting process.

A Well, there wasn't much. I had my official visit on Monday and they offered. I couldn't imagine any other schools that would have been able to say anything to make me not want to go [to Minnesota]. I could have committed right after they offered, but I wanted to sleep on it a couple nights and then made the call.

Q Why did you ultimately decide to go there?

A It was always a dream of mine, and it became a goal once I got into high school. I can remember 2002-03 back-to-back championships, and that was when I knew I wanted to be a part of that. Hopefully I can be part of something special there and make some noise.

Q Do you feel your recruiting class might be the one that turns the Gophers program around?

A I think we'll have a pretty good group once I finally get there, yeah. The program is going to turn around; next year they've got a good group coming in as well. Some real stars. When we get there, those guys will be on the up road to making a turnaround and hopefully we will help it.

Q You have some time, but have you been given any indication on what path you will take to get there? Will you play juniors next year?

A I'm not 100 percent sure, but I always envisioned myself playing my senior year with all my friends. I'll probably make that decision sometime this summer. Right now, I'm definitely leaning toward staying in Lakeville.

Q What have your USHL experiences been like so far?

A Overall it's been a really good experience. The fans are crazy down there. It's been good for me. You kind of take it for granted being in high school and you drive 15 minutes to play another team. It takes me two, three hours to get down there and then it's like four hours to play in Omaha. Just for a game, driving overnight. It's shown me what the next level is all about.

Q What's been the biggest adjustment?

A I felt some fatigue; a little out of shape those first few games. It's really not that bad. I don't think it's affected my play too much. The biggest obstacle is that everyone is so much bigger and stronger. I've got a ways to go on that, but overall it's been pretty fun.

Q Has it been difficult to keep up with school?

A Actually, no. I've missed 11/2 days of school. I leave at noon on Fridays for the weekend games. And then I'm back Sundays and ready to go on Monday.

Q What feedback have you gotten from the Waterloo coaching staff?

A I think they've been a little easy on me because it's only been 10 games or so. They've given me a lot of confidence. The competition there is so tough. There are no off nights. Really, really good hockey. A lot more physical than high school hockey. You get hit right away and a much faster pace.