'It Makes Us a Better Team:' Inside the Rise of Cody Glass

On Oct. 27, Bridgestone Arena was buzzing.
The Nashville Predators had just snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-2 statement win over the St. Louis Blues, which also happened to be their first win on home ice in 2022-23.
But as Preds Head Coach John Hynes walked into his postgame press conference, reporters were focused less on the big win and more on one looming question: What happened to Cody Glass?

The 23-year-old earned his first opportunity to play in Nashville's top-six forward group that night, centering a line between veterans Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter. But with just 11:19 of ice time, including just 1:18 in Nashville's three-goal third period, he wasn't playing top-six minutes. So, what happened?
When asked why Glass logged just over a minute of ice time in the third period, Hynes gave an honest - and deeply insightful - answer.
"It's unfortunate," Hynes said. "In his first shift, he got scored on and kind of lost his center. We took him off, then put him right back out in an offensive zone face-off. And I just thought he was playing like he didn't want to make a mistake. He looked a little bit like the pressure of playing in that top six affected him a bit. Coming into the third period with a 3-2 lead, we felt that there were some other players that were really having some good games… so we didn't give him a lot of ice time in the third."
Indeed, Glass had taken the defensive zone face-off that resulted in Robert Thomas deflecting a Justin Faulk shot into the back of the net to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead just over a minute into the first period. His costly mistake - and profoundly human response - revealed something deeper: He simply wasn't ready.
"He was a player that we felt certainly deserved to be there [in the top six]," Hynes said. "But I think the moment got the best of him as a young guy… We want to see him in that spot because if he can get there, I think it makes us a better team. It gives us a real strong top six."
A lot can change in three months.
After spending several games as a healthy scratch and subsequent stints on the third and fourth lines, Glass is now a mainstay in Nashville's top six.

"[After] training camp, he earned the right to play up in the lineup, and that was a whole different role for him," Hynes said. "He didn't handle that well. So we took a step back - we worked with him, talked with him, put him back in games with some different opportunities, and now he's matured in that role."
It would appear that Hynes' approach is paying off. After opening the season with three points (1g-2a) in his first 16 appearances (Oct. 7-Dec. 12), Glass owns 15 points (6g-9a) in his last 22 games, including goals in each of his last two contests. His 15 points are the fifth-most among Predators forwards in that time span.
"He's a talented player, and he's had adversity in his career early with Vegas and getting injured," Hynes said. "When he got here, he wasn't physically or mentally ready to play in the NHL. We know the reason why we acquired him and why we believe in him. As you can see, it's what we're starting to see now. He's a good skating guy. He can make plays. He's a really smart player. He's a center who can play both sides of the puck."

Glass made history as the first-ever draft pick in Vegas Golden Knights franchise history when he was selected sixth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut with Vegas in 2019 and, after an injury-riddled rookie season, he suffered a season-ending knee injury requiring surgery in March 2020. Then, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, hindering his ability to rehab and train like he otherwise would. He arrived in Nashville in July 2021 as part of a three-way trade but was assigned to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals for the 2021-22 season.
"At certain times, guys have to be physically ready and mentally ready," Hynes said. "It's the hardest league in the world. Some of these guys are physical specimens, but there's a pressure to play that's emotional. It's a hard league. Sometimes it can be a lonely league, and that's something players have to adjust to. We have a great support staff with our trainers and our mental skills coach, and we've tried to make sure that we've helped Cody in those areas and have the avenues to help him work through certain things."

Glass' season in Milwaukee not only afforded him the time to prepare his body for the physical rigors of playing in the NHL; it also gave him more time to prepare his mind.
"Cody's really progressed as a young player," Hynes said. "One thing is just the assertiveness in his game - he's really playing a style of game that gives him a chance to use his skill set. He's a good skating, playmaking centerman. I think from an offensive perspective, he can play at a high pace. He makes good plays off the rush and through the neutral zone. He's also done a nice job finding areas to create offense in the offensive zone."
Glass can now be found centering Nashville's top line between Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg. Glass has found the scoresheet in six of his last eight contests, posting seven points in that span (3g-4a).
"Now that he's been playing with Duchene and Forsberg, he's playing quite a few minutes and plays against tough matchups," Hynes said. "I think his play without the puck has also been really strong. It's nice to see him be able to come in and build up to the role that he's in, and he's making an impact on our team offensively and defensively."

Glass has already established career highs in goals (7), assists (11) and points (18) this season - no small feat for a young player who, just three months ago, was held to just over 11 minutes of ice time. The time Glass spent on the bench, in the press box as a healthy scratch, on the third and fourth lines and even last year in the AHL was never about punishing a young player for a subpar performance; it was always about a coaching staff caring for that young player, knowing his potential and putting him in the best position to achieve greatness.
"Everyone progresses at a different pace," Hynes said. "I don't think you can just plug in young, talented players because you think they're good offensive players. There's so much more to these guys as players; they're human beings. There's a mental side, there's a physical side, there's a performance side, and there's a social side; and I think that all those components have matured. [Glass], as the player, has put a lot of work into that, and I think our organization has done a good job of supporting him."