The Nashville Predators announced on Monday that Cody Glass is the team’s nominee for the Masterton Trophy.
The Masterton nominee is voted on by the Nashville Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. It’s an annual award given to a player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” It’s no secret that Glass embodies all of those qualities and more.
Glass made national attention when he found out in the NHL’s Beyond the Glass series that he’d made the Predators’ final cut and would be headed overseas with the team for the Global Series. The 24-year old shed tears of happiness, and you couldn’t help but feel very proud of the kid as he fought his way back to the NHL after spending a large part of 2021-2022 with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Glass had knee surgery in 2020, and the Covid-19 pandemic prevented him from rehabbing; he soon found himself part of a three-way trade and he landed in Nashville unsure of what his future might look like. Glass was selected at #6 in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights, becoming their first ever draft pick. The Preds organization can afford to be patient with Glass as they embark on a rebuild/retooling, and Glass should be a top-6 staple for many seasons to come.
Each team has a Masterton nominee, and it’s pretty clear that this season’s award is likely to go to the Penguins’ Kris Letang. Letang recovered from a stroke in the fall, mourned his father’s death in January, and just played in his 1,000th NHL contest.
Other nominees that could become finalists are Jamie Benn (Dallas), Derrick Brassard (Ottawa), Brandon Tanev (Seattle), and Brock Boeser (Vancouver).