So Im doing some deep dive research on Cody Glass and I figured Id be a gentleman and share my research. Nothing here is new or from my own scouting- rather creatively regurgitating from other articles, analyses, and forum threads.

- The thing that inspired me to write this. Even in his draft year there were a small contingent of amateur/armchair scouts who had Glass as a potential number one option. It wasnt a huge contingent but it was a vocal one and they seemed to have fairly sound commentary on his game. A big thing that held him back were playing on a second line without a lot of scoring support (where he still did great- just wasnt generational)- and then adding like 5 inches (he was listed as %"9 in his OHLO draft year) in the time he was drafted to the NHl. He was always had a high skill cap- he just added NHL and legtimate scoring threats to his line and he went supernova. if anything it shows he can thrive even without ideal circumstances. Last point- even some of the skeptics agreed he might end up having the highest offensive ceiling (tied with Hischier) but they just werent as sure about him (probably based on his late blooming). I just want to add this was before the world had seen much of Pettersen and before Tolvanen posted almost a generational season in the K in his D+1 year. I think we can safely say Pettersen has a higher ceiling, and Tolvanen still has a lot of time too- but still thats pretty glowing praise that I hadnt read about during his draft.

- Dude is crazy humble. Theres an article in his junior days where theyre trying to get him to comment on an insane angle one timer he made and all that he would say was how good/creative the pass was and not take any credit on it. ill look for the link to the goal. Reilly Smith said recently he didnt know how good Glass was unitl he started practicing with him. hes not flashy so you miss a lot of the small stuff but he sais he learns something small from him almost every practice- usually about positioning, economy of motion, being where youre supposed to be ahead of time- said hes an "old soul" for whatever thats worth. Even Mark Stone had glowing raise for the youngster-"We call it Instagram hands or Instagram skills," Pacioretty said. "Kids want to go out there and stick-handle a million miles an hour or skate a million miles an hour and do all this stick-handling through cones. I can't ever see him doing that. I could just see him going out there and making the right plays.He went on: "And it really is a breath of fresh air to have a kid come in here and just be relaxed, just make the right plays, not be arrogant at all but be confident in his ability to know where to be on the ice and what plays to make. I can't remember the last time I've seen a rookie really have that skill and that kind of persona."

- I had worried with all the praise about his playmaking we might have a Wennberg concenr developing. Alas that does not seem to be the case. While stick handling and passing are a strength hes got a sharp wrister. What might be even more exciting though is his ability to find open space or find clever ways to throw off coverage. A prolific poster at HFboards likened this ability to Joe Pavelski- the way he sneaks out of coverage without the defender realizing it. He may not have the "laser" some players have but apparently doubts about his goal scoring acumen are misplaced as hes got a gift for finding opportunistic firing lanes and shaking the D.

- Last thing I can think of isnt exactly praise- its more observation. His skating his been divisive to scouts of all levels with it being cited as a weakness by some and a strength by others- with Craig Button going so far as to say he was the best skater in the draft. Heres what I gather. His top speed is fine and may indeed be at or near the top of the class. One observer noted that with maturiy and adapting to his newly added mass he could likely end up being the fastest skater on the knights. The bigger "issue" so to speak was his acceleration. While thats clearly not great to hear theres a couple thingsthat leave room for optimism. So first- its my sense from reading about this stuff that acceleration is generally a bit more important for defensemen, as forwards tend towards perpetual motion when theyre on the ice. While this obviously wont always be the case it does seem to dampen this as a weakness. Second apparently this part of a players game can be helped immensely by coaching. Often times its just a matter of looking at your stride more in depth and correcting some natural mistakes skaters make. The good news here is that Glass has shown himself to be humble and highly coachable. He may never have MacKinnons "explosiveness" but Id excpect he could get to league average with a little bit of one on coaching time and some off-season conditioning. Just saying it shouldnt be a detriment.

I think what Ive gathered here is that you've got a guy with tremendous skill and hockey IQ who also has a tremendous work ethic and character. I think his late-blooming may have masked a superstar talent the same way Pettersens weight and limited exposure masked his. I think with that as a base, the fact that hes humble, willing to learn, willing to play different roles and get better, and that he can produce with or without superstars makes him a fantastic prospect to own. As a GM who favors shooters/goal scorers my fears of him being a one dimensional playmaker have been alleviated. The comparisons Ive heard have all been great- Mark Scheiffele, Joe Pavelski (I know lots of analysts hate comparisons but I think theyre a helpful tool in fantasy)- and Im calling it now. I think this is aguy flirting with ppg status (70-80) within three years and I think once he starts producing in that range he''ll have a shot to exceed that by 10-15 points in a year where everything falls into the right place (90-95). I dont know if you can "buy low" but he does seem to have some camouflage. I do believe Patrick was overrated/overhyped. Hischier was rated well but ended up being a surprise. Makar is blowing the pants off even the high totals he was projected for. Pettersens emergence may have been the biggest surprise and I think that provides "cover for glass". Adding to that was Tovanens D+1 year that was nearly historic and while transitioning and a loaded top six have conspired to keep him from capitalizing on that potential its another storyline that poolies are latching onto. Tippetts a great talent but he plays a simple North/Soth game that might end up capping his hard upside and Viliardi is a whole enigma of talent whose ongoing back problems are keeping fantasy GMs awake at night- lol! All this conspires to distract from Glass who is quietly taking the first important steps to becoming a productive center in this league, whcih in turn should lead to him being a star center in this league (L! or 2 doesnt really matter if hes plunked on the top pp which he should with his Pavelskian flair for slipping coverage), which in turn could put him on track to being a franchise pillar and the leagues newest superstar.

He wont get your attention with a clever "oh no he di-int" type of quote, he might not pull you out fo your cvhair withn highlight reel dangle after highlight reel dangle. But he might just end up being in the right place in the right time scoring and setting up teammates- helping a stacked Knights team take the next vital step. I think the road for Glass is crystal clear- he'll quietly become a star right in front of our eyes. Poolies... get your bids in now before the stats catch up...