By Joel Smart (Sports Editor) – Email
In a recent radio interview with Team 1040, Mike Gillis made it clear that 20-year-old Cody Hodgson has a genuine chance to stay with the team, as long as his play is adequate. Though ultimately fans have been waiting even longer in anticipation of his transition to the NHL, many developed extremely high hopes for him after his performance as assistant captain in the 2009 World Junior Championships. He led the tournament with a 16-point explosion in the six games that saw Canada win gold on home soil.
Since his call up to the Canucks, Hodgson has held his own. He scored his first NHL goal in just his second NHL game, and it was a beauty of a goal that took away the Phoenix Coyotes hopes of a comeback in the game. Hodgson told The Province that the moment was a dream come true. “You think back to all the years you’ve played hockey, you dream of playing in the National Hockey League, to score in the National Hockey League, to win a Stanley Cup,” he remarked post-game, reflecting on his goal, “everybody dreams that.”
At six feet and 188 pounds, the right-handed centre from Ontario is not the largest by hockey standards, but when Gillis drafted him in 2008 with his first pick, 10th overall, it was for his character. In the 2008 Under-18 World Junior championships, Hodgson captained the team. It was a tournament that saw team Canada shellac the host team Russia 8-0, and, ultimately, Hodgson took the tournament MVP with a tournament-leading 12 points in seven games. Indeed, when he’s not injured, Hodgson exudes a natural leadership ability that could see him play an increasingly important role on the Canucks team as he continues to develop.
He’s also got a knack for the intellectual side of the game. His hockey smarts saw him earn the “Smartest Player in the Eastern Conference” award in three consecutive years by OHL coaches during his play with the Brampton Battalion.
He was drafted to the battalion in 2006 and had 46 points in his rookie year. His second year, the 07-08 season, he accrued a phenomenal 85 points in just 68 games. But in his next season, he blew even that record away; in 2009 he won the William Hanley Trophy for the “OHL’s Most Sportsmanlike” player, the Red Tilson Trophy for the “OHL’s Most Outstanding Player,” and the “CHL Player of the Year” award after he totaled a mind-boggling 43 goals, and 92 points in a mere 53 games.
Then, disaster struck. Hodgson injured his back during summer training but was cleared by the Canucks’ doctors to play. It was later discovered the injury was misdiagnosed and had been further aggravated. He missed 50 games recovering. Then, eight days after returning to the Battalion, he suffered a broken toe. A reinjured back kept him down until he was cleared to play for the Manitoba Moose this season.
In just 28 games, Hodgson had racked up an impressive 10 goals and a total of 16 points for the Moose. That is third on the team in goals, despite suffering a broken orbital bone which saw him play almost 20 fewer games than current goal-leader Sergei Shirokov.
Hodgson also had an impressive performance against Chicago, in the Canucks’ most focused game of the season. He finished the game with an assist, after he and Tanner Glass set up Christian Ehrhoff for the game’s first goal. Canucks fans should cross their fingers that his health woes are behind him and hope he can continue to play with the poise and intellect that has gotten him this far. One thing is certainly clear: he has the potential to grow into one of the most important and influencial players on the ice.
