Bigger, stronger Cody Glass hopes to make Golden Knights roster

Cody Glass probably wasn’t aware of his body language at the time, but subconsciously he struck the perfect pose.

As the Golden Knights’ prospect boasted about his added weight, Glass stood with his arms crossed, accentuating his newly developed biceps.

“I think I was 187 (pounds) at development camp (in June), now I’m 192. I’ve been gaining weight a little bit,” Glass said proudly. “I know the past couple years it’s kind of been tough for me, but I feel like I’m getting stronger, faster. And I feel a lot better than I did at development camp the past couple of years.”

For the first time since he was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in 2017, a bulked-up Glass finally might be ready to challenge for a spot on the Knights’ opening-night roster.

The first step in that determination begins Saturday during the Anaheim Rookie Faceoff tournament at Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena in Irvine, California.

The Knights open against Colorado at 1 p.m. Saturday, then take on Arizona at 3 p.m. Sunday. They conclude the event against the host Ducks at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

All three games will be streamed on the Knights’ website and also can be heard on Fox Sports radio (98.9 FM/1340 AM).

“My goal is to be in the NHL. The past two years, obviously being sent down to junior kind of sucks,” said Glass, who was 178 pounds when he was drafted. “I thought I did fairly well last year, and then obviously they want to take their time with me. I’ve got to respect that and just take it how it goes, don’t complain about it too much, just keep my head up.

“I did really well in the (American Hockey League), I thought. The team did really well. They want a bunch of winners on their team. Making it to the finals, that can help me a lot and now I’m really looking forward to my opportunity here.”

Glass’ slim chances to make the Knights last season were derailed by a lower-body injury, and he returned to his major-junior team in the Western Hockey League to continue his development.

Glass was a member of Team Canada at the world junior championship, and after a left knee injury interrupted his season in major-juniors, he tallied seven goals and eight assists in 22 postseason games to help the Chicago Wolves reach the AHL’s Calder Cup finals.

“Physically, he looks even better than when we saw him about two months ago. That’s the last time I had seen him,” said Wolves coach Rocky Thompson, who will coach the Knights at the rookie tournament. “He’s been through this already and he’ll want to take ownership of the team, which is a positive thing.”

Glass said he was fed a diet of chicken and rice by his father this summer to help pack on the pounds, and the 20-year-old spent last month training in Toronto with former NHL player Gary Roberts.

The Knights return their top three centers — William Karlsson, Paul Stastny and Cody Eakin — blocking Glass’ path. If he doesn’t make the team out of training camp, Glass will start the season with Chicago.

During Friday’s practice at City National Arena, Glass was centering a line with wingers Lucas Elvenes and Jonas Rondbjerg in preparation for the rookie tournament.

“For me, his natural position is center. That’s what he’ll be as an NHL player,” Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “I guess if there’s a period of time where he’s considered as a winger along the way in his development, that’s something we would address later. … We’re extremely excited to see where his game is at.”

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Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.