We are only six games into the 2019-20 NHL regular season but rookie phenom Cody Glass has proven already that he belongs in the NHL.
After doing his utmost to impress throughout Training Camp and the preseason, Glass cracked the opening night roster and he hasn’t looked back since.
In six games the 20-year-old has potted two goals and tallied two assists for four points, with the majority of those points coming as the second line center between elite wings Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone.
Glass has also become a cornerstone of the top power play unit and his play on the man advantage has drawn praise from Stone, who knows a thing or two about succeeding in the National Hockey League.
Whether it is his ability to read the open ice, make a play out of nothing or his elite passing, Glass is a major reason the Golden Knights’ power play has been so good.
More from Vegas Hockey Knight
- The moment the Vegas Golden Knights have been waiting for
- 3 Golden Knights players deserving of the Conn Smythe Trophy
- If Golden Knights win Stanley Cup, who should Mark Stone pass it to first?
- Why are Vegas Golden Knights fans obsessed with flamingos?
- Just one more game for Golden Knight supremacy
And it has been red hot. Through six games the PP is operating at a 30.0 percent success rate and it ranks 7th in the NHL.
Glass takes a lot of the credit for the way the Knights have dominated teams on the power play, and he’s been just as good at 5-on-5 too.
Three of his four points have come at even-strength and he clearly benefited from playing alongside elite playmakers in Pacioretty and Stone to start the year, looking right at home in the NHL from the get-go.
He’s also shown his versatility in recent days having dropped down to the third line following Cody Eakin‘s return to health, which allowed Paul Stastny to be bumped back up to the second line and he’s responded by contributing five points (three goals, two assists) in just two games.
Glass hasn’t looked fazed by replacing Brandon Pirri on the left wing on the third line, however, tallying a point against the Calgary Flames on Saturday with his second goal in the National Hockey League.
The rookie was held without a point against the LA Kings on Sunday but he did win every draw he took in the faceoff circle, an area of his game that has been lacking, while he logged an average of 14:02 minutes of total ice time including 2:34 on the power play.
And, in total so far this year, Glass has averaged 14:44 minutes of total ice time winning 15 draws, blocking one shot, dishing out two hits and recording two takeaways and three giveaways.
There are areas he needs to improve on, in the faceoff circle being one, but that is to be expected from a rookie experiencing the gruelling nature of the NHL for the first time.
Overall, Glass has excelled on the big stage and he’s certainly won the coaching staff who have had no problem chucking him out on the top power play unit and on the second line.
There will be decisions to make once Alex Tuch comes off the IR but it is likely Glass will either center the third line with Cody Eakin dropping down to the fourth, or replace Valentin Zykov on the third line left wing which would add more balance to that line, in my opinion.
Imagine a third line containing the defensively responsible Eakin, the playmaking abilities of Glass and the scoring prowess of Tuch? It has the potential to be a dynamic and explosive line.
Either way, Cody Glass has proven that he belongs in the NHL and, whether he plays on the wing or as a center, third line or second line, he deserves to remain with the Vegas Golden Knights.