Brampton Battalion Cody Hodgson

hodgson battalion in november 2008

chosen represent ohl in 2008 adt canada-russia challenge in november, hodgson recorded hat-trick , added assist in first of 2 games against russia; chosen game mvp. went on complete month of november 27 points in 13 games named ohl player of month. hodgson had been chosen ohl player of week week ending on november 9 after scoring 9 points in 3 games. after second player of week recognition, scoring 7 points in 3 games week ending february 1, 2009, hodgson participated in 2009 ohl all-star classic. joined teammates matt duchene, evgeny grachev , thomas mccollum eastern conference, hodgson received player of game honours after five-point effort in 11–6 win. recorded hat-trick, along western conference representative justin dibenedetto, tie scott barney, first scored 3 goals in 1999, ohl all-star game record. hodgson s 5 points tied all-star game record points (shared 5 others). recorded record later in month 23-game point-scoring streak, registering 17 goals, 23 assists , 40 points in span. streak both battalion club record , ohl season-high.

hodgson finished season 43 goals , 92 points in 53 games, fourth in league scoring. annual ohl coaches poll distinguished hodgson smartest player (for second consecutive season), hardest worker, best on faceoffs , best penalty killer. in addition ohl first all-star team honours, awarded both william hanley trophy league s sportsmanlike player , red tilson trophy ohl player of year. media voted hodgson ahead of forward john tavares , goaltender mike murphy tilson award. hodgson distinguished on fellow major junior league mvp s brett sonne of western hockey league (whl) , nicola riopel of quebec major junior hockey league (qmjhl) chl player of year.

early in subsequent playoff season, hodgson received second ohl player of month recognition march (26 points in 11 games). helped battalion advance ohl finals, lost j. ross robertson cup windsor spitfires. led team 31 points in post-season.

following battalion s playoff elimination, hodgson assigned canucks american hockey league (ahl) affiliate, manitoba moose, 2009 playoff run. making professional debut moose in game 1 of semi-finals against houston aeros, notched assist on game s first goal first professional point. followed first professional goal next night, wrist shot against aeros goaltender nolan schaefer, in 5–2 victory. while hodgson started on fourth line moose, moved way second line fellow canucks first-round pick michael grabner. advancing past aeros, moose head coach scott arniel chose not play hodgson in game 4 of calder cup finals against hershey bears. arniel explained decision attributed fatigue on hodgson s part lengthy season in juniors (including 2009 world juniors , lengthy ohl playoff run). returned next game moose stave off elimination goal in 3–2 game 5 victory. manitoba went on lose calder cup in game 6 4–1 score. hodgson s assisted on moose s lone tally mário bližňák.

preparing canucks training camp 2009–10 season, hodgson injured while working out in summer. injury, misdiagnosed bulging disc in lower back, caused him miss 2 months of summer training. after being cleared play canucks team doctors on september 11, 2009, , specialist in toronto, hodgson again expected secure roster spot during training camp. after struggling in 6 pre-season games, returned brampton battalion on september 29 in final round of team cuts.

hodgson subsequently sought third opinion regarding @ cleveland clinic in ohio. in response, then-canucks head coach alain vigneault publicly speculated whether hodgson having hard time being cut , trying roll [blame] in direction. despite having been cleared earlier play in pre-season 2 sets of doctors, cleveland clinic judged him unfit play month. undetected nerve damage in 1 leg revealed. due hodgson s misdiagnosis, not corrected until year later, subsequent treatment , rehabilitation designed bulging disc, further aggravated real injury – muscle strain.

hodgson (right) faces off during game against barrie colts.

after missing first 50 games of 2009–10 ohl season, hodgson returned battalion line-up on february 4, 2010, recording 2 assists in 4–2 win against erie otters. following return, declared no longer training in off-season canucks director of player development dave gagner, under supervision suffered injury. combined canucks doctors initial misdiagnosis , vigneault s disparaging comments regarding hodgson following nhl pre-season, there speculation in media of possible conflict between hodgson , canucks organization. general manager mike gillis, however, dismissed such speculation.

eight days after ohl return, hodgson suffered injury, breaking toe on right foot while blocking shot against sudbury wolves. initial x-rays came negative , continued playing 9 more games before second x-ray revealed hairline fracture in 1 of right metatarsal bones. missing battalion s final 5 regular season games, finished campaign 8 goals , 20 points on 13 contests. despite missing majority of season, voted smartest player in eastern conference third consecutive year in ohl coaches poll.

hodgson returned brampton line-up opening game of 2010 playoffs, scoring game-winning goal against kingston frontenacs. in game 5 of series, scored 20th career playoff goal in ohl, surpassing wojtek wolski all-time lead among battalion players. battalion eliminated frontenacs in 7 games before being ousted in 4 games barrie in second round. hodgson completed post-season ten points in 11 games, second in team-scoring sean jones. admitted publicly after playoffs health never 100 percent during 2009–10 season.

the battalion s playoff elimination marked end of hodgson s four-year ohl career. left brampton ranked second on club s all-time scoring list behind wojtek wolski in regular season goals (114), assists (129), points (243), powerplay goals (46) , shorthanded goals (7), while ranking first in game-winning goals (23). in playoff games, left all-time leader in goals (20), assists (30) , points (50).

following 2009–10 ohl season, expected hodgson join manitoba moose second consecutive ahl playoff season. however, after being assessed canucks team doctors, broken toe judged have not yet healed , not cleared ahl assignment. hodgson additionally believed had re-injured while colliding head-first boards during game 7 of opening playoff round. underwent mri in off-season, uncovered misdiagnosed bulging disc muscle strain instead. canucks consent, trained in off-season former nhl player gary roberts, had himself overcome injury during career.

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