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University of Massachusets Athletics
VIDEO: Meet UMass Hockey's #8 Jake Horton
October 02, 2014 | Hockey
Q: Tell us about where you're from?
A: "I'm from the suburbs of Minneapolis, technically from Plymouth, Minnesota. It's a beautiful area, a lot of good friends that I've made there. I went to a Catholic high school, which was about 20 minutes way from where I grew up. I played for the Wayzata Hockey Association for my whole life until high school. From then on I played high school hockey."
Q: What's your style of play?
A: "I'm a defenseman, but I definitely like to be aggressive and jump up in the play. I like to have the offensive part of the game going, but when it comes down to it, I have to be good in my own zone in order for us to get the puck out and get up in the offensive end and score some goals."
Q: Why UMass?
A: "You know, it seemed like a good fit. Ever since I was little I wanted to go to a bigger school where hockey was a big program. When I started talking to UMass, everything just seemed like a perfect fit. I love the area out here. I love being able to be close enough to Boston you can go in there for some fun activities every once in a while. The Amherst area just seems like a great fit for me."
Q: What are some of your impressions of the coaching staff here at UMass?
A: "I really like the new coaching staff. I think they have been able to get this program turning here. I think we're right at that turning point. They like the way I play and everything. They like defensemen that are aggressive, they like defensemen that do their job. I think it will be a good class for all of us freshman and it should be a good year for us."
Q: What number will you be wearing at UMass and why did you choose that number?
A: "I'll be wearing #8 this year, since in high school I wore number 16 and I wore number 4 in juniors and I've been a fan of it being multiples of four."
Q: Is there a reason you like to wear multiples of four?
A: "There's nothing to crazy or too serious about why I like the number four. Eight has always been a number that I've liked, and this year it was available and I went for it. One of my favorite players is Drew Doughty and that's what he wears."
Q: Is there a specific NHL player that you model your game after?
A: "I'd like to say Drew Doughty. He's more offensive than I am, but I love the way he plays. He's aggressive, gets up in the ice, and does what he needs to do with his defense as well."
Q: What is it like coming to school with a teammate of yours from juniors (Henry Dill)?
A: "It's really exciting, actually. We became friends this last year. We didn't know each other before his first year at juniors, but he's a great kid and we get along, so I'm exciting to get the year going and for him to get out here."
Q: What should UMass fans know about Henry Dill?
A: He's a big fisherman, actually. He likes to spend a lot of time on the water. He's quite the fisherman. There would be numerous nights in Aberdeen where he'd be going out fishing at night until 10 or 11 with another kid on our team."
Q: What is your best talent other than hockey?
A: "I'd like to say I'm pretty good at singing, but I don't think anyone else would agree with me. That's more for when I'm on my own."
Q: What is your favorite music genre?
A: "I'm a big country fan, but I'll really listen to anything. Country is the go-to."
Q: What is your favorite band or artist?
A: "Right now, I'm really liking Florida Georgia Line. They're upcoming and they're doing well."
Q: What is something that people don't know about you?
A: "Most people don't know that I was a soccer player in high school. It's something I've been doing ever since I was little, so I'm a fan of when we get to play soccer for warm-ups before games because it brings back some memories."
Q: What was it like winning a state championship in soccer? What skills from that do you think translate to hockey?
A: "It was a lot of fun to win the state championship. We had a good group of guys of my age in our senior class who I'd been playing with since we were little kids. It was really rewarding to win the state tournament. A lot of guys use soccer to warm up for hockey games. It gets your feet going and you see a lot of guys using their feet to kick the puck up to their stick and deflect pucks with their skates, so it's definitely beneficial when it comes to hockey. I don't always tell everyone right away, but soccer is a big part of my life, so I'm glad that I still have that around."