Glass prefers lengthy AHL playoff run

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This article was published 11/05/2022 (861 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Forgive Cody Glass if this current trip back to his hometown wasn’t exactly high on his bucket list. It’s nothing personal.

It’s just that the 23-year-old Winnipegger would prefer to still be skating in the NHL with the Nashville Predators, as he was earlier this week until they were ousted from the playoffs by the mighty Colorado Avalanche.

“We had a couple of those games (against Colorado) in our hands and let them slip away. The Avalanche are a really good team,” Glass told the Free Press of getting swept out of the first-round by the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, which included dressing for the last two. “So, it sucks. A bad feeling.”

Now back on the farm with the Milwaukee Admirals, his hopes for a short and sweet stay were stifled by the Manitoba Moose keeping their season alive on Wednesday night with a 5-2 win. Glass certainly did his part, opening the scoring just 21 seconds into the game, but the desperate home team rallied for victory,

Glass and his AHL teammates will have another shot at moving on to the second round on Friday night at Canada Life Centre. If needed, a winner-take-all Game 5 would go Sunday afternoon at the downtown rink.

“Being able to come here and play playoffs, we have a really good group here so I was excited to get back,” said Glass, who watched online last weekend as Milwaukee beat Manitoba in the first two games of the best-of-five series. “I’m a fan, was missing my team. I wanted to cheer them on as best as I can even if I wasn’t there.”

Glass was the first-ever draft pick of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, taken sixth-overall after lighting it up with Portland of the Western Hockey League. (292 points in 239 games). He made his big-league debut during the 2019-20 campaign, scoring five goals and adding seven assists in 39 regular-season games.

“My first three or four games, I played with (Mark) Stone and (Max) Paciorietty. I had three points in four games and was like oh, this is an easy league,” Glass said. “Then injuries, people started coming back, I got bumped down to the third line and go on a 15-game pointless streak. It becomes harder minutes, you’re not playing as much as you’re used to. It’s something you just have to handle.”

A concussion, followed by a serious late-season knee injury which required surgery would prove to be a set-back, and Glass spent last year’s truncated season bouncing between the NHL (27 games), the AHL (14 games) and the Golden Knights taxi squad. He was then sent packing out of Sin City last summer, dealt to Nashville in exchange for fellow Winnipegger Nolan Patrick, who Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon knew well from their time together with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Glass spent the majority of this year in the minors, leading the Admirals with 62 points in 66 games and appearing in just eight regular-season contests with the Predators. Opportunity didn’t come knocking as much as he’d like as the parent club mostly stayed healthy and surprised plenty with their strong play.

“I’ve never been traded before. Going to a different organization was difficult at the start, but I have a really good relationship with management, the coaches and everything. They’ve been really good to me so far, talking to me at least once a week and just staying updated,” said Glass. “I wish I could just be in the NHL, but at this time and day, at my age and with stuff I’ve been through injury wise, I think it was kind of a good reset year and to get back to where I want to be.”

Glass credited veteran stars on Nashville such as Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi with helping to keep a level-head this season, not to mention leading by example.

“I spent last summer there training, so I spent a lot of time with those three guys. They really helped me a lot,” said Glass. “Just to be at their pace, their work ethic, to see how they were training was really something for a young player like me.”

And that’s where this next stretch of hockey comes in, a chance to shine on a big stage and held a Milwaukee team that finished third in its division (Manitoba was second) go on a lengthy run.

“When I was 19 I went to the Calder Cup Final with the Chicago Wolves. We have a good group here, and if I can get back to another and win it this time that would be a good feeling to have,” said Glass. “This is just something you have to handle. I felt like I’ve done a good job with it. I want to get back to playing lots of minutes, get my touches back and that’s something (with previous injuries) I kinda lost.”

Glass did managed to get in a quick visit with his dad, Jeff, older brother, Matt, and a few other family members and friends in between games this week. They all understand that the sooner Glass can get out of town — Saturday morning would be perfect — the better it is for him.

“Seeing my family, seeing all those guys, it gives me a taste. So when I go on a long playoff run I won’t be missed as much,” he said with a smile.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg