Expect high intensity, high competition at Golden Knights’ rookie camp
At some point, Cody Glass will invest in owning a home in Las Vegas. But for now, the 18-year-old rookie center will keep his money in the bank, save for the Nissan Murano he recently leased.
Glass, the Golden Knights’ No. 1 pick and the sixth pick overall, arrived in town Wednesday and will be one of 24 players participating in the team’s inaugural rookie camp. His goal is to be in Dallas opening night Oct. 6 when the Knights play their first NHL regular-season game.
But if he’s back in Portland playing for the Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League this season, he’ll live with that.
“My dream is to make the NHL,” Glass said. “But I want to be a dominant player in the NHL so if it takes another year, I can wait.”
Glass spent his summer getting stronger and faster. He and Knights teammate Nick Suzuki played for Canada in August’s World Junior Summer Showcase at Plymouth, Michigan, and competing with other quality players helped his development.
“What it did was it gave me confidence I can play against the best young players in the world,” Glass said. “There wasn’t a lot of time, but I did what I could to get stronger and faster.”
Even though the Knights are an expansion team, it’s going to be hard to make the final roster. The competition is going to be fierce, even in the rookie camp, which runs through next Thursday when it wraps up with the second of two rookie scrimmages against the Los Angeles Kings in El Segundo, California.
“My goal is to just play hard,” Glass said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Some of his rookie camp teammates have started skating at City National Arena, participating in the informal workouts with the Knights’ veteran players. Keegan Kolesar, Reid Duke and Alex Tuch are coming in with the mindset of staying for the veterans camp on Sept. 14 and making the season-opening roster.
“I think that’s every guy’s goal, to make the NHL,” Kolesar said Wednesday. “That’s why I wanted to get here early, skate with the veterans and see the way they handle themselves. It’s totally different. They’re ready to go from the start. There’s no easing into the drills.”
For Kolesar, 20, who played against Glass in the WHL as a member of the Seattle Thunderbirds, he knows how hard and how smart he plays will determine his NHL fate. Unlike Glass, whose Plan B is going back to juniors, Kolesar’s plan if he doesn’t make the Knights likely would be a spot with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League.
“There’s some things you can’t control, but one thing you can control is how hard you compete,” he said. “I got a taste of what it’s like at development camp, but this is going to be a lot more intense.”
Koesar admitted there’ll be pressure to perform well. But he’s ready to show he belongs in the NHL.
“I’ll put my best forward and see what happens,” he said.
Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.