It has been a tough rookie year for Cody Glass and it has just got a whole lot worse for the Vegas Golden Knights forward.
According to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review Journal, Vegas Golden Knights Head Coach Peter DeBoer confirmed that Glass is now done for the year after undergoing surgery on his right knee.
Glass sustained the injury in a game for the Chicago Wolves on Feb. 20, falling heavily on his right knee.
He has now undergone surgery to cure the injury and it is likely that we won’t see Glass back on the ice until Training Camp.
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It is the latest in a long line of body blows for the forward, who has had his rookie year in the National Hockey League ravaged by a plethora of injuries.
There was the concussion that the 20-year-old suffered after taking a hit to the head by New York Rangers forward Brendan Lemieux on Dec. 8, before Glass also missed a chunk of time after injuring his right knee against the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 4, after colliding with Jay Bouwmeester.
When you add in the fact that Glass also took a blow to his left knee while playing junior hockey last year, then maybe there could be some cause for concern.
However, it is important to not get too carried away because, after all, Glass is still developing and his body is still growing.
He doesn’t turn 21 until Apr. 1, and all three injuries suffered this year in the majors were freak accidents when you study them.
Plus, it can take a while for prospects to adapt to the gruelling nature of the National Hockey League, with Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko being the prime examples.
Also, let’s not forget, Glass looked every inch a top-six NHL forward when he exploded onto the scene out of Training Camp.
Starting the regular season on the roster, Glass marked his NHL debut with a goal against the San Jose Sharks, before tallying four points (two goals, two assists) in his first four outings in the majors.
He showed flashes of his elite vision and creativity, while really meshing on a line with Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty.
Of course, Glass also endured his fair share of struggles but, again, you can put that down to a 20-year-old trying to find his feet in the best hockey league in the world while still developing.
In addition, not playing as a center and being deployed on the third-line with lesser players also didn’t help Glass’ cause.
But, the talent is certainly there and now is the time for Glass to work on his body, add some muscle and focus on getting his body ready for the NHL.
If he can do that then there is no doubt that he will hit the ground running in Training Camp again, while his experiences this year will make him a better and more-rounded person in 2020-21.
And that will only be good news for Head Coach Peter DeBoer and the Vegas Golden Knights with Cody Glass still very much a high-end prospect to get excited about.
It is a major shame that Glass won’t be available for the Golden Knights down the stretch and in the postseason, especially as Vegas needs as much forward depth as they can get, but it is important for all parties that the rookie now gets stronger both physically and mentally during his recovery.
So pause hitting the panic button on his injury history for a moment.