CHICAGO – Cody Glass played in a youth hockey tournament in Las Vegas when he was 10. His Junior Steelers team finished a disappointing second.
He is looking forward to many more games in Sin City.
Glass was selected by the expansion Vegas Golden Knights with their first-ever pick Friday night, going No. 6 overall. The 18-year-old Canadian center had 32 goals and 62 assists in 69 games last season for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League.
"I didn't really see that as a hockey place when I went there, but now, with the new team and the fans and season tickets sold out, I think hockey will be unbelievable," Glass said. "Just being there and walking down the Strip, it's something that's really nice. You don't see too much of that in Winnipeg."
The first NHL draft in Chicago began with another 18-year-old forward, Swiss center Nico Hischier, going No. 1 overall to the New Jersey Devils. The Philadelphia Flyers then grabbed Nolan Patrick.
Hischier, just over 6 feet tall and listed at 179 pounds, will need to put on more muscle for the NHL.
"I love hockey," he said. "It's my biggest goal to play in the NHL. I'm so happy."
The 18-year-old Patrick, a Winnipeg native whose father, Steve, and uncle James played in the NHL, held the top spot in the NHL Central Scouting Department's final rankings in April. He suffered a sport hernia last summer that hampered him during his season with Brandon of the Western Hockey League, but he finished with 46 points in 33 games.
