WHL Portland Winterhawks

Winterhawks' Glass Scores in NHL Debut for Golden Knights

Published on October 3, 2019 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


For every player transitioning from the Western Hockey League to the National Hockey League, their timeline is different. Usually, after getting selected in an NHL entry draft, the player will continue in the WHL or make the jump to the NHL's affiliate team to gain experience with older, stronger men before entering and maybe excelling in the NHL. While Portland Winterhawks' Cody Glass did a little bit of both, he also fast-tracked his timeline of excelling in the NHL far beyond expectations.

After Glass was selected sixth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights as their first-ever franchise pick, he quickly signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the club. Back with the Winterhawks for the 2018-19 campaign, Glass collected 102 points (37G-62A) in 64 games, the Winnipeg, Man. native earn a place on the WHL's Western Conference First All-Star Team and was awarded the WHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player.

The next season, Glass was named captain of the Winterhawks, attaining 69 points (15G-54A) in 38 games, earning a spot on the WHL's First All-Star team for the 2018-19 run and was selected to Canada's National Junior team where he recorded six points (2G-4A) in five games. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound centerman also appeared with the Knights' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate team, the Chicago Wolves, for 28 games where he notched 20 points (10G-10A).

While the aforementioned information fits spectacularly with an NHL prospect's traditional timeline when making the transition from WHL to NHL, here's where Glass speeds it up.

Making Vegas' opening night roster to start the 2019-20 season was a key building block for Glass before what was to come next.

"I couldn't sleep during my pre-game nap," Glass said prior to the game in an interview with the Golden Knights. "It was so special to come down the golden carpet, see all the fans and the atmosphere and [hear] my name called to go out on the ice is something I've dreamt of and it's unbelievable."

Even with the pre-game jitters, Glass was able to collect his nerves and make history. At 2:12 into the second period of his first career NHL game, Glass one-timed a pass from teammate Max Pacioretty past San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones to score his first career NHL goal. The Golden Knights would go on to win against the Sharks 4-1.

"It's special," Glass said in a post-game interview. "You dream of it as a kid and for it to come true like that is unbelievable. Very emotional. When I was sitting on the bench, I just had goosebumps. The crowd was unbelievable. It was a very special moment."

Glass, who played on a line with Pacioretty and Brandon Wheat Kings alumni Mark Stone, became the youngest Golden Knights player (20 years, 184 days) to score a goal, surpassing forward Alex Tuch (21 years, 158 days).

As for the golden puck, Glass said that belongs to his dad.

"It's a family thing," Glass said. "My brother and my dad are key parts to me making it here and when I scored it was kind of emotional, I didn't know where they were sitting, but I knew they were very happy for me and I'm excited to go see them after this."

Now the question becomes where Glass sits on his NHL timeline? After a debut like that, we're confident he will go on to make great strides in his career.

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 3, 2019


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