The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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70 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2017 BY AUSTIN FOX M ichigan has always had tremendous success with its Olympic sports pro- grams, and that begins on the recruiting trail. The Wolverines are once again bringing high-end tal- ent to Ann Arbor in several sports, with recruits coming in from all over the world. Here's a look at the top 10 Olympic sports male athletes in this year 's recruiting cycle: 1. JOSH NORRIS OXFORD, MICH. • HOCKEY Norris was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the first round (19th over- all) of this year's NHL Draft, but will attend Michigan for his freshman season. This past season, he led the United States National Development Team program U-18 squad in points with 61. On top of that, Norris helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in the 2017 IIHF U-18 World Junior Cham- pionships. He checked in at No. 34 in the final NHL Scouting Service rankings, after rating first in five different categories at the 2017 NHL Scouting Combine. The Wolverine contributor Orion Sang shared his thoughts on Nor- ris: "I expect him to center Michi- gan's top line — he's supposedly best friends with Will Lockwood, who is one of Michigan's top wingers, so that can't hurt their chemistry. If not the top line, then he'll be on the second line. He's definitely a top-six forward for them next year and will be a huge part of the team." "He's a good-sized forward that skates well," said former head coach Red Berenson, who recruited Norris. "Josh is a two-way forward that we are excited to have join us." 2. CAMERON BOCK TUSTIN, CALIF. • GYMNASTICS Bock, a member of the U.S. Junior National Team, has had several im- pressive meets internationally, in- cluding a first-place finish on the parallel bars at the 2016 RD761 In- ternational Junior Team Cup in Katy, Texas. He was also named a first- teamer at the 2016 University of Cal- gary International Cup in Canada, and a second-teamer the following year at the same event. Bock has also had tremendous suc- cess on the national level, claiming first place in the all-around at the 2015 Junior Olympic National Champion- ships in Daytona Beach, Fla. He came out on top in the parallel bars the fol- lowing year in Battle Creek, Mich. "Cameron Bock, according to our rankings, is the No. 1 kid in Amer- ica," head coach Kurt Golder said. TOP-NOTCH TALENT Men's Olympic Sports Impress On The Recruiting Trail Josh Norris helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in the 2017 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championships in Slovakia last April. PHOTO COURTESY USA HOCKEY