Quizzing Cody Glass: What does Vegas’ 1st draft pick know about Sin City?

For most 18-year-olds, a trip to Las Vegas consists of awkward family photos, a visit to the Grand Canyon, and a lot of time spent by the pool. But for Vegas Golden Knights 2017 first-round draft pick Cody Glass, his next trip will be strictly business.

That's because the Knights are set to host Glass and a crop of other young prospects at their first-ever rookie camp next week in Vegas. So, we thought it was a good time to find out a little bit more about the Knights' first-ever draft pick, and to see how much he knows about Sin City.

Glass sat down with theScore for a quick quiz on Las Vegas-related trivia; the results were somewhat mixed:

Flip Livingstone: First of all, Cody, thank you for doing this.

Cody Glass: No problem. Anytime.

FL: OK, so, I'm going to hit you with a quick Las Vegas quiz, test your knowledge a little bit.

CG: Let's do it.

FL: Aside from the Golden Knights, can you name one of the Las Vegas pro sports teams?

CG: Um, pretty sure they had the Tri-City Storm was there, I know that for a fact.

FL: We'll give you that one. We would have also accepted: The Wranglers of the East Coast Hockey League or the Outlaws of the Arena Football League.

CG: Oh, yeah. The Wranglers.

FL: Which popular Vegas hotel just had its 50th anniversary celebration?

CG: I know a bunch of them, but, I don't know which one it was. I know there’s the Excalibur, but, I don't know if that was it.

FL: It's actually Caesar's Palace.

CG: Oh, really?

FL: OK, so, this one might be a little more up your alley. What artist is currently headlining Planet Hollywood?

CG: Calvin Harris?

FL: It's Britney Spears. Not your favorite?

CG: Not exactly my first choice ...

FL: Here's another sports-related question. Which Chicago Cubs superstar hails from Las Vegas?

CG: What’s his name? ... Wasn’t he just there? … I have his face, but, I can't really remember his name.

FL: Think famous Los Angeles Lakers ...

CG: Bryant. ... Kris Bryant.

FL: Now you're getting it, I'm not even helping at all.

CG: *laughs*

FL: Which Vegas hotel is best known for its beautiful fountains?

CG: Is it the Mirage? No ... Bellagio!

FL: Nice, it is the Bellagio. OK, only a few more. In what movie did Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and group of thieves successfully rob the fictional "Bank Hotel and Casino" in Vegas?

CG: Oh yeah. Is it Ocean’s Eleven?

FL: That's close, but ... .

CG: Ah, it’s one of them. Ocean’s Twelve or something.

FL: Ocean's Thirteen.

CG: Ocean's Thirteen! I actually watched that not too long ago.

FL: Can you name four of your Golden Knights teammates?

CG: Yes. I actually know all the Winnipeg guys, Brendan Leipsic, Cody Eakin, Calvin Pickard, there’s only three of them. But, one of the others would be James Neal.

FL: Nice. I was expecting you to nail that one, and you did. But, here it is, final question. On what date do your hometown Winnipeg Jets play their first game in Vegas?

CG: Is it in March?

FL: The answer is Nov. 10.

CG: Nov. 10th? When do they go to Winnipeg? I know they go to Winnipeg.

FL: Well, you're all brushed up on your Vegas trivia. You didn't do too bad, I think we'll call it three out of eight?

CG: I'll take it.

Glass may not exactly be an expert on the city of Las Vegas, but that doesn't change the fact that the Golden Knights are expecting the teenage centerman to be a big piece of their future.

For Glass, he's just focusing on the next task at hand: cracking the Vegas roster out of training camp.

While the Winnipeg native took the quiz in stride, he also fielded the more serious questions like a pro. Here is what Glass had to say in response to some actual hockey-related queries:

On making the Knights out of training camp:

"Going into training camp, I really want to make the team and make a good first impression. Going to go in there and try and make it, if I don’t, I’ll have another good year in junior."

On trying to follow last year’s rookie class (Specifically Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine):

"Yeah, kind of. Those guys are franchise players, just following in their footsteps is something that's kind of hard, obviously, with those two players. But, I want to create my own way. I am just going to play to the best of my capability and see how it goes."

How he elevated his game last year with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL:

"The opportunity I was given, just playing power-play and penalty kill and getting every chance possible. Once you get every opportunity you get more confidence and you start to build, and I think that’s where a lot of my offence came from was just the confidence part of it."

On the other Knights 2017 draft picks:

“For moving forward, in three or four years from now, it's going to be a lot easier, especially having talent like that. With (Erik) Brannstrom and (Nick) Suzuki, they bring a lot of different stuff to the table and I think we had a really good draft class this year."

On preparation for this training camp as opposed to others:

"Not really, but, I know It’s going to a be step up going from Portland camp to Vegas camp. But, I'm just going to try and take it all in and play the best I can. I know the way I can play, and they drafted me for a reason, so, I’m just going to play like they want me to. I’m really looking forward to it right now."

Glass may be a year away from being an everyday NHLer. But, that doesn't mean he can't start turning heads in the Vegas front office a lot sooner than that.

The Golden Knights host their inaugural rookie camp on Sept. 7, with their full camp slated to kick off the following week.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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