Michigan Newcomer Spotlight: Defensemen
9/17/2019 12:00:00 PM | Ice Hockey, Features
Over the weeks leading up to the 2019-20 season, MGoBlue.com will introduce the University of Michigan Ice Hockey team's eight-man freshman class and help fans get to know a little more about the student-athletes. The first of the series highlights the defensemen: Keaton Pehrson, Shane Switzer and Cam York.
Keaton Pehrson (Lakeville, Minn.)
Pehrson joins the Wolverines after spending the past two seasons with the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League (USHL). During the 2018-19 season, Pehrson served as the assistant captain and totaled 30 points (eight goals, 22 assists) in 62 games. In 2017-18, he recorded five goals and four assists in 58 games.
Q: Why did you choose the University of Michigan, and what are you looking forward to most?
A: I chose Michigan because of the coaching staff, the facilities and the academic excellence. Michigan has a great tradition. I always wanted to play in the Big Ten Conference and go to a Big Ten school. It's cool to see the football team play and we have a big basketball program as well.
Q: What is your favorite hockey memory?
A: Winning the state tournament my sophomore year of high school. It was in a sold-out professional hockey arena and you get to play for your high school. All of the students from your hometown and hometown families come to watch you play. The whole community is there. Winning that was awesome -- throwing your gloves at the end, holding the trophy for the crowd, it was pretty sweet.
Q: If you could be a star athlete in any other sport, what sport would it be?
A: Golf. It's very fun and definitely hard. I go a lot in the summer. You get to play it your whole life and compete at it your whole life. Whereas with other sports, like hockey and football, you get injured and you are out. This one you can play forever.
Q: What are your goals for this season?
A: I definitely want to make it to the NCAA tournament and we obviously want to win it all. I want to earn playing time and do as much as I can to contribute to the team. I want to get better every day.
Q: If you could meet one famous person (past or present) who would it be?
A: Sidney Crosby. I think all around as a hockey player he does everything right. It would be cool to talk to him and listen to the way he thinks about the game. I would love to pick his brain a little bit.
Q: When did you start playing hockey? What got you hooked?
A: My parents got me skating when I was 5 years old. When I was 9, we would go to the rink and watch the high school varsity players play. I grew up always wanting to be a high school hockey player, so that is probably what got me hooked on it.
Q: Do you have any pregame rituals or routines?
A: I always have to take a nap, whether it's for 10 minutes or an hour. I just have to get a nap in. Other than that, no.
Q: Have you ever played a game without taking that nap?
A: Yes, and it didn't go well. There are obviously some games, like a fun pickup game, where I don't nap before those and I play good. When it is a legit game, I need to get my nap in. It is just a mental thing.
Q: What are your hobbies and interests outside of hockey?
A: Golf. I am also trying to pick up guitar right now, and I love wake-surfing. My friend has a cabin in Wisconsin on the lake, so the whole day we will just go out and wake surf -- it's so fun. I have been doing it for about two years now.
Shane Switzer (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
Switzer joins Michigan after spending his past four seasons with Boston University. He appeared in a career-high 17 contests during the 2018-19 season, and was named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team during his time at BU. Switzer is now a graduate student at the University of Michigan.
Q: Why did you choose to transfer to U-M, and what are you looking forward to most?
A: Michigan was the best fit for me as a person and as a player. I am looking to play more as well as get more exposure, and I believe Michigan offers that as well as the academic piece, so all around it is a great fit.
Q: Being from Michigan, did you grow up as a Wolverine fan? How does it feel to now be an student-athlete here?
A: I was a Michigan fan at one point; I wanted to come here but it didn't work the first time. It has all worked out now, and it is really exciting that it has all fallen back into place.
Q: When did you start playing hockey? What got you hooked?
A: I was about 4 or 5 years old, my parents got me into it and my older brother played, too. He was a huge role model for me when I was younger, so watching him play had a big influence on me -- it made me want to play.
Q: What is your favorite hockey movie?
A: Mystery, Alaska. Any time that is on HBO I'll throw that on. Miracle is the obvious answer, everybody says that, so I had to go a little bit off the rails on this one.
Q: What are your goals for this season?
A: My biggest goal is to grow as a player. I think that this is a really tight-knit group where it is going to be easy to transition to the team, and it is a team that can have a lot of success. I want to grow as a player all around; I haven't played too many games over the last few years, so becoming consistent is key.
Q: Who is your favorite NHL player? If you could model yourself after one of them, who would it be?
A: Nicklas Lidstrom. His play on the ice speaks for itself. His nickname is "the perfect human" because he can do it all, and the way he treats the game away from the ice can teach you a lot.
Q: What are your hobbies and interests outside of hockey?
A: You'll find me on the golf course more than on the ice; in the summer that is definitely the biggest thing. I like to get away from hockey a little bit so that's my release. I also like to go up north and spend time on the lake.
Q: What are the "go-to" songs on your pregame playlist?
A: That's a tough one; anything Drake at the time is pretty good. I like to keep it pretty recent so I don't have a fixed playlist. I like to change it up, but Drake is pretty constant on there.
Cam York (Anaheim, Calif.)
York comes to Michigan after spending the last two seasons with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP). He recorded 65 points (14 goals, 51 assists) in 63 games and registered 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in seven games at the U-18 World Junior Championships. He scored five goals with 20 assists for 25 points in 38 games played in 2017-18 for the U.S. NTDP U-17 team. York was drafted in the first round (14th overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Q: Who has been most influential thus far in your hockey career and how have they impacted you?
A: My parents, because they gave me everything I could ever want growing up -- new hockey equipment, driving me to practice all of the time, flying me everywhere. They sacrificed so much time out of their lives for me.
Q: Who do you most try to model your game after?
A: I would say a guy like Morgan Rielly of the Toronto Maple Leafs because he is not the biggest guy out on the ice, but he uses his speed and skating very effectively. He is like the quarterback out there for the Leafs and I try to model my game after him.
Q: Being from Anaheim, how many times have you been to Disneyland, and what is your favorite memory growing up in California?
A: I probably went five or six times as a little kid growing up, I honestly did not go that much. My favorite memory from home is going to the beach. Since I lived pretty close, I could go with my friends and everyone all of the time.
Q: What are your goals for this season?
A: My goals for this season are to win to win the Big Ten championship and the national championship, and I want to have a strong year.
Q: What is your favorite hockey memory thus far in your career?
A: My favorite hockey memory was winning the U-17 Challenge my 17's year with the National Team Development Program in Canada.
Q: When did you start playing hockey? What got you hooked?
A: I started playing roller hockey when I was 4 years old, but the rink I was playing at closed down so I had to decide to either switch to ice hockey or play a different sport like football or basketball. When I was 7, I decided to switch to ice hockey and do something different. I fell in love with it and it took off from there.
Q: Do you have any superstitions or routines?
A: I always put my left equipment and skate on first and then my right. For tape, I always use the same grip tape for my top hand.
Q: What are your hobbies and interests outside of hockey?
A: I am a big fisherman, I love to fish out on the west coast. My dad and I have our own boat, so when I am home we will go out to the islands a lot. I also like to play golf, those are the main things.
Q: What are the "go-to" songs on your pregame playlist?
A: Yeah, I listen to rap. Money in the Grave by Drake is definitely a "go-to", and then Gucci Mane and 21 Savage are strong on there, too.
2019-20 individual game tickets are on sale now along with the Victors Pack, which includes games against Ohio State, Michigan State or Notre Dame, for as low as $170. [ Ticket information ]
