Vancouver Canucks 2017 NHL Draft Profile: C Cody Glass
By Jeff Godley
The Vancouver Canucks are preparing for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft — and so are we.
Once again the Vancouver Canucks failed to secure a spot in the NHL playoffs. So, instead of competing for the Stanley Cup, Canucks GM Jim Benning and his staff will use the upcoming months to prepare next season’s roster. Now that the organisation is officially in a ‘transition period’, the 2017 NHL Entry Draft will be of utmost importance.
A four-game winning streak to start the 2016-17 season gave fans hope for the playoffs. But — blame the coach, the roster, injuries or anything else — unfortunately, the team was unable to play competitively for an entire season. With that, they are guaranteed another high draft pick this year.
Here at The Canuck Way, we will do our best to prepare you for the upcoming draft by profiling as many eligible players as we possibly can. Keep in mind that we are not saying these are players the Canucks are targeting. Instead, these are players that we think the Canucks could or should have interest in.
This year’s draft seems wide-open, with no real consensus in any of the seven rounds. So, it will certainly be interesting to see who will put on a Vancouver Canucks jersey come June.
This time around, we look at center Cody Glass, from the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks!
Name: Cody Glass
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Birthdate: 1999-04-01
Height, weight: 6’2, 179 lbs
Team, league: Portland Winterhawks, WHL
Stats (from eliteprospects.com):
G
A
P
PIM
+/-
69 32 62 94 36 31
Rankings:
#7 by Hockeyprospect.com
#7 by ISS Hockey
#16 by Future Considerations
#13 by McKeen’s Hockey
#6 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
Risk, Reward: 2/5, 4.5/5
NHL-potential: First-line center
Draft Range: Top 10
Scouting report
"A dangerous two-way center that thinks the game at a high level, never making the same mistake twice. He is analytical and patient in the development of his strengths. He transitions up-ice quickly and is able to create and dictate offensive chances on the rush. He attacks hard and fast and consistently displays excellent puck control. His decision making is very good, indicative of his high level of hockey sense. He plays a complete game and elevates his play as energy levels rise. At the next level, he will need to be even faster and more physically assertive to make his presence felt. All-in-all, an intense, quick-thinking competitor that can elicit a crowd’s excitement when he’s on the ice. (Elite Prospects)"
Strengths
After being cut from Team Canada’s roster for the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament, Glass came into this season with a huge chip on his shoulder.
More from Draft
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- Canucks take Daimon Gardner in fourth round
- Canucks select Elias Pettersson in third round
- Canucks select Jonathan Lekkerimäki with 15th overall pick
- Five players the Canucks could draft with the 15th overall pick
He responded by racking up 94 points in just 55 WHL games. That led the Winterhawks, and tied him for seventh in league scoring. The year prior, he had only managed 27 points in 65 games. Safe to say 2016-17 was a breakout year for him.
At age 18, Glass is 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, giving him a good physical foundation for NHL hockey. He is strong defensively, kills penalties, and is already a proficient at faceoffs — all this has led more than one scout to compare him to Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins.
Glass is clearly a talented playmaker, given his high assist totals. He is a deft stickhandler, and can protect the puck along the boards or in open ice. Great vision and hockey IQ mean he can set up teammates for scoring chances seemingly at will.
Combined all that talent with his intense work ethic on the ice, and Glass has the makings of a terrific two-way center in the NHL.
Weaknesses
There are two main areas which Glass needs to improve: strength and skating.
He has already bulked up considerably from where he was a year ago. But, even 180 pounds is still light for a 6-foot-2 frame. If he is as dedicated in the gym as they say he is on the ice, he should have no problems putting on more lean weight.
As far as his skating goes, speed is not the issue. When he gets going, he can easily keep up with the play. The problem is that getting to top speed can be a struggle. His stride is, to quote Ben Kerr, “short and jerky” when he starts out.
In the NHL, being a step or two behind can make the difference between an impact player and a passenger. Luckily, it sounds like Glass just has a technical issue or two with his skating. These should be corrected with time and practice.
Final Thoughts
The Canucks desperately need a franchise center, and more specifically a playmaking center. Who will set up scoring wingers like Brock Boeser and Nikolay Goldobin in four years’ time?
Now that we know Vancouver will be selecting fifth, Glass may very well fit the bill. He is tall enough, and should grow big enough, to match up against big centers like Ryan Getzlaf and Anze Kopitar in the Pacific Division. And he already has a mature two-way game.
Glass and Bo Horvat would make a tantalizing tandem down the middle. It seems Jim Benning thinks so too, as the Canucks have spent plenty of time scouting the Portland Winterhawks.
There’s a good chance that Glass will still be available number five. The Vancouver Canucks could do a lot worse than to snap him up with their top pick.