Hodgson enjoying a decorated season
Cody Hodgson didn’t see getting sent back from the Vancouver Canucks to the Canadian Hockey League as a disappointment.
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In fact, the Brampton Battalion captain considered it a blessing.
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Hodgson, who has helped the Battalion advance to the Rogers OHL Championship Series for the first time in team history, was official named the OHL’s most outstanding player on Tuesday. He became the second Battalion player to win the Red Tilson Trophy following Wojtek Wolski, who won it in 2005-06.
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Hodgson was the first round pick of the Canucks in the NHL Entry Draft last summer and by all accounts had a legitimate shot at making the team as an 18-year-old rookie. But the Canucks wanted to make sure that their star prospect had the chance to develop to his full potential and sent him back for a third season with the Battalion.
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The results speak for themselves.
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Hodgson was one of the top players at the World Junior Championships, helping Canada win its fifth straight gold medal. He came back to Brampton and helped them set team records with 47 wins and 96 points. He was named his team’s player of the game in the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge in November and the Subway OHL All-Star Classic in February. He finished fourth in the OHL scoring race with 43 goals and 92 points in 53 games and has led the Battalion on the best playoff run in their 11-year history.
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In short, it’s been a memorable season for Hodgson.
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“It’s been an unbelievable year,” said Hodgson, who also won the William Hanley Trophy as the OHL’s most sportsmanlike player. “Obviously the goal was to make the (Canucks) out of training camp but I had a great meeting with (Vancouver GM Mike) Mr. Gillis and the coaches and I still felt like part of the organization. They really treated me well during the year. I never really saw it as a set-back. I really enjoyed playing for the Brampton Battalion. We have a great bunch of guys and I just love coming to the rink every day.”
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Hodgson edged John Tavares of the London Knights and Mike Murphy of the Belleville Bulls in voting for the Red Tilson Trophy, which is done by the media that cover the OHL throughout the season.
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“It’s a real honour,” said Hodgson, a 19-year-old from Markham, ON. “It’s something that I didn’t really expect coming in. Looking at past names that have won, it’s something that I’ll always remember. Hopefully I will be able to represent the OHL like so many of the guys that came before me.”
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Some of the biggest assets that Hodgson brings to the game don’t show up on the ice. Stan Butler selected Hodgson with the 17th overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection in 2006 and said that it didn’t take long for Hodgson to assume a leadership role with the team.
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“There are so many things that Cody brings to our hockey team that you do not see on the ice,” said Butler, who has been Brampton’s GM and coach since Day One. “The stuff he does in the dressing room and the way he works hard in the weight room. When everybody else is gone from the arena he’s still doing those things and that’s what makes him such a special player.”
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Despite still having a year of junior eligibility, the Vancouver Canucks’ brass indicated that this would likely be Hodgson’s last season in the OHL.
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“I think he’s already capable of making the jump,” Gillis said. “We sent him back with some specific instructions on what we’d like to see him work. We wanted him to go back, play in the World Junior tournament and continue to develop his leadership skills as much as he could. We’re really pleased with everything we’ve seen from Cody. It’s true to form. His character and willingness to work are remarkable for a young man his age. We think he’s well on his way to becoming an elite level National Hockey League player.”
Photo by Aaron Bell/CHL