There’s a logjam of goalies in front of him now.

But Brandon Glover knows by next fall, the roster of the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors will likely loosen up a bit and give him a good chance to stick with the team.

The 16-year-old Stelly’s secondary student, who played his minor hockey on the Peninsula and at Racquet Club, noted that goalies get moved around a lot in junior to make room for other players. After seeing action in WHL preseason games against Lethbridge and Prince Albert, he was returned to the B.C. Major Midget League’s South Island Thunderbirds.

“But they told me to keep working and there will be a spot next year,” said Glover, who was between the pipes last weekend with the Thunderbirds in a 4-3 loss to the Fraser Valley Bruins. “My main goal is to play there.”

Warriors management wanted Glover to get more ice time, telling him it wasn’t a matter of him not having the ability and readiness to play as a backup in the WHL.

The Warriors fifth-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft, Glover is currently behind three goalies on Moose Jaw’s depth chart: 17-year-old Devin Dubyk and 18-year-olds Kyle Birch and Todd Matthews. Matthews has received the bulk of the starts so far (five) while Dubyk and Birch have played in two games apiece.

T-birds head coach Rob Milliken has seen this scenario play out before, most recently with former South Island netminder Jamie Tucker. The Vancouver Giants rookie is off to a hot start, having won three of his first four WHL games.

“If you look at the two of them, back to where (Tucker) was last year and where (Glover) is this year, I’d say they’re very comparable,” said the coach. “Realistically, there’s no reason (Glover) couldn’t be there right now. The important thing is for him to play.

“He’s going to have a leadership role on our team and he’s going to be relied on to give us a chance every night. That’s the main reason he’s here,” said Milliken.

The lean, six-foot-two Glover started four of six games for the Thunderbirds (1-4-1).

Backup Ryan Waldhaus, 15, has looked solid in his two games, keeping them in the game Sunday during a 2-2 tie with the Bruins.

The Warriors aren’t the only team on Glover’s radar these days. He spent a chunk of the summer skating in a 48-player camp after being invited to try out for Team Pacific. The team will represent B.C. and Alberta at the under-17 World Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni, Dec. 29 to Jan. 4.

Shortlisted in a battle with one other B.C. goalie, Glover’s progress will be monitored by Team Pacific scouts until late November.

This weekend the T-Birds will battle the Valley West Hawks in Surrey and Langley.

sports@vicnews.com