OHL North Bay Battalion

Hodgson returns to Battalion lineup

Published on October 6, 2008 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


BRAMPTON, Ont. - The Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League assigned centre Cody Hodgson to the Brampton Battalion on Monday.

A first-round pick, 10th overall, in the NHL Entry Draft in June, Hodgson, 18, signed a three-year entry-level contract with Vancouver on Sunday. He played three preseason games with the Canucks, earning one assist.

"It was surprising news today, especially after he had just signed," said Battalion coach Stan Butler. "We were expecting him to stay there for some games."

Hodgson, whose return plans were unknown, will join a Battalion team that opens a three-game Ontario Hockey League road trip against the Windsor Spitfires at 7:05 p.m. Thursday.

"This is a tough part of the schedule for us, and getting a player like Cody back will really help us out," said Butler.

The offensively challenged Troops, who lost 3-0 to the host Sarnia Sting on Saturday night, saw their won-lost-extended record slip to 2-3-0. The Battalion has scored 12 goals in five games for an average of 2.4 goals a game, the fourth-lowest average in the league.

A first-round pick in the 2006 OHL Priority Selection, Hodgson scored 23 goals and added 23 assists for 46 points in 63 games as a rookie in 2006-07. Last season he had a team-leading 40 goals and earned 45 assists for 85 points in 68 games. Hodgson has six goals and three assists for nine points in as many playoff games.

He captained the Canadian team that won a gold medal at the World Under-18 Championship in Russia last April. He also won a gold medal with the Ontario under-17 team at the Canada Winter Games at Whitehorse, Yukon, in January, 2007.

Hodgson attended the Canadian national junior team's summer development camp in July, and Butler said Hodgson's return to the Battalion will give him an excellent opportunity to make the team that will compete at the World Junior Championship at Ottawa from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.

"It's a big adjustment for players when their focus is solely on making the NHL. But at times like this you need to review your goals. He'll get a chance to be a key guy for Canada and have the opportunity to play in his home country for that tournament.

"That'll be a great experience and that should be one of his main goals coming back, and I'm sure another of his goals will be to lead this team through the season and into the playoffs."

Hodgson is the second player returned from an NHL club in six days after left winger Evgeny Grachev, a Russian import, was assigned by the New York Rangers last Wednesday. Prospective overager John Hughes, a right winger, remains on a free-agent tryout with the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch.

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