UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Jared Westcott has always been a hard worker, but he knows he'll have to take it to a whole new level at Penn State.
The Imperial, Missouri, native has strong roots to Philadelphia and grew up a big Penn State fan, thanks in large part to his dad. One of the biggest jumps Westcott is noticing at Penn State is how much more talent is in the college game compared to juniors.
"It's definitely a lot different than junior hockey," Westcott said. "The culture around the rink and everything you need to do to tighten everything up."
Prior to joining the Nittany Lions, Westcott spent two seasons with Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL. He served as the alternate captain last season and led the team across the board in goals, points and assists.
Westcott also garnered big-game experience with Sioux Falls. In 2019, he helped lead the Stampede to a Clark Cup Championship and an 11-1 playoff record. That experience playing in games of large magnitude will help Westcott tons at Penn State.
"It's a whole different mindset that you have to play into," Westcott said. "You pretty much have to be perfect on every shift if you want to be able to win."
Unfortunately, Westcott's 2019-20 season was cut short due to the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdowns. Westcott and his teammates were watching the Bachelor when they found out the NBA shut down.
They knew that would only be the first domino to fall. When the next day came and it was time for practice, the inevitable came to fruition.
"We all showed up to the rink the next day expecting to practice," Westcott said. "Then we go into a two-week quarantine and then got sent home."
It took about two months until Westcott was able to get back onto the ice. During that time, he had home workouts sent to him by his strength coach so he could stay in shape.
Even though he couldn't get on the ice, Westcott took up roller hockey again, which was something he frequently played growing up.
"I'm a big roller hockey player and have roller skates," Westcott said. "I'd always be outside shooting pucks and skating around the neighborhood. I felt like a ten-year-old kid again."
When he finally got back on the ice, Westcott began to prepare to come to Penn State. Playing for the Nittany Lions was always a goal of his, and he was eager to commit here.
Westcott was so eager that he committed prior to taking an official visit to Penn State. He only came once and knew it was the place he wanted to call home for his collegiate career. There were a lot of factors that drew him to the Nittany Lions, especially how strong of a school Penn State is.
"I knew this was an amazing academic university and a top-notch institution," Westcott said.
Now at Penn State, Westcott is continuing to work hard to establish himself and carve out a role. He doesn't know what role he'll have yet but is willing to adjust to whatever he is asked to do.
"I feel like I'm a pretty adaptable player," Westcott said.
Westcott considers himself a high-IQ player. Those intangibles will go a long way in helping him make an impact in the Big Ten Conference.
"The Big Ten is definitely the best conference in college hockey," Westcott said. "Being able to play the other major teams in it excites me."
Westcott knows he and his fellow newcomers will have big shoes to fill. But, filling those shoes of last season's departures is not something that worries him too much.
He knows that if he does his part, his impact will surely be felt.
"I don't think we're trying to jump in and take over any roles they had," Westcott said. "We're all just trying to help the team at all costs."
