Cody Glass is learning a new system, building chemistry with a new line mate, and remembering to have fun playing hockey.
Cody Glass is learning a new system, building chemistry with a new line mate, and remembering to have fun playing hockey.
One of last preseason's top storylines was seeing Cody Glass make the Predators roster out of training camp, A lot has happened since that tearful meeting in David Poile's office. Cody Glass is coming off a career best season in which he played 72 games for the Nashville Predators, scored 14 goals and 35 points, and showed the joy he has playing hockey. Glass's performance was a high point in a season marked by veteran injuries, a sell off at the trade deadline, and the closing of a chapter for the franchise.
This preseason Glass is coming into camp with more experience but facing plenty of change as well. General manager Barry Trotz hired new head coach Andrew Brunette who is introducing a new system focused on playing a fast, offensively minded game. Glass spent the offseason preparing for the changes ahead.
"I knew it was going to be hard. I was just trying to prepare in the summertime to get used to that really quickly," Glass said after Friday's practice.
"Coming in with new line mates, new coaches, it's all different. It's all changed and something I have to adjust to quickly."
Training camp is focusing on speed and skating but also learning a new system under Brunette. Part of the challenge for returning players like Glass is unlearning the team's old ways of playing.
"It's actually trickier than I thought," Glass said of changing the way he thinks the game. "It's one of those things where you've just been built in your head so much of what you did last year that there's little sequences in games where I'm thinking of doing one thing and I'm like 'Oh wait. We don't do that anymore'."
"That's something I need to get used to," Glass continued. "I need to adjust and do stuff that I'm uncomfortable with so when we get into the regular season I'm going to be comfortable in those situations."
Glass has been growing more comfortable with one of Nashville's free agent signings and a potential regular season line mate, Gustav Nyquist. The two skated together and got to know each other off ice a bit before training camp began. They have spent a lot time working together in training camp and shared ice time in preseason games as well. The 24-year-old Glass is learning from 34-year-old Nyquist as the two build chemistry in camp.
"I've been on a line with Nyquist for the past week and I feel like the chemistry is starting to build there," Glass said. "He's so good at communicating and such a good person off the ice."
A new coach with a new system and a new line mate is a lot of change, but one thing that hasn't changed from last season is the fun Glass is having playing hockey.
"In the past it did suck and it wasn't fun. I went through kind of dark times, but I feel like I carried so much baggage on my shoulders," Glass said.
Glass shared one main thing he did that helped him find his joy in hockey again.
"Just talking to someone really helped me. I think that's where Mark Borowiecki came in. He got injured last year, but he took on this huge leadership role with the younger guys. He'd always text me. To this day, he still texts me every day. He's been really good for me if I ever need something or ever need to get something off my chest. He's always been there. And we obviously have a sports psychologist, Vickie [Woosley] that I talk to quite a bit."
"When I was 20 and through my first couple years, I just hung on to everything, and it just kind of knocked me down. I didn't really know how to recover from it. But now I can talk and get it off my chest and feel good about it."
"I am having a lot of fun now," Glass said with a smile.
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