ECHL Bakersfield Condors

Hodson Returns to Backstop Condors

Published on July 3, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Bakersfield Condors News Release


BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The Bakersfield Condors have agreed to terms with goaltender Jamie Hodson for the 2007- 08 season, head coach Marty Raymond announced Tuesday. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

Hodson, a 6-foot-2-inch, 198-pound netminder from Lenore, Manitoba, was a workhorse for the team, playing in 48 regular season games, and recording a career-high 29 wins, tied for fourth best in the ECHL. He tied for sixth in the league in save percentage (.917) and was 11th in goals-against average (2.66). The 27-year-old ran off a six-game win streak and two five-game win streaks during the year, and posted back-to-back shutouts on March 10 (vs. Utah) and March 13 (vs. Phoenix), the first Condors goaltender to ever do so. In the process, Hodson set the club record for consecutive shutout minutes at 184:11.

"Jamie is an important part of our core that we wanted to bring back and we're happy he wanted to return," Raymond said. "He had a fantastic season and wants to win a championship and show he can do it at this level."

2007-08 will be Hodson's second season with Bakersfield, and his eighth in professional hockey. He was a third round selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, the 69th pick overall. He spent parts of three seasons with the St. John's Maple Leafs, compiling an 11-15-3 mark with the American Hockey League franchise.

Hodson has previous ECHL experience with South Carolina, Greensboro and Fresno. In 160 total ECHL appearances, he's racked up a 93-44-15 record, 2.78 GAA, .920 save percentage and six shutouts. While with Greensboro in 2003-04, he tied for second in the ECHL with a .929 save percentage and stopped 56 shots in a 1-0 win on Jan. 28 of that season.

"I'm very excited to be coming back next season," Hodson said. "Bakersfield is a great place to play. It was a no-brainer for me to want to come back. Everything from the organization, fans and city makes playing very enjoyable. We have a great core coming back next season. We are definitely looking to win a championship."

Hodson is the sixth player to agree to terms so far this season, joining Sean Venedam, David Kudelka, Andrew Ianiero, Reagan Leslie and Brett Lutes.

The Condors begin their 2007-08 10th Anniversary season Friday, Oct. 19. To view the full 2007-08 schedule, click here. For more information or to reserve season tickets, mini-plans and book group outings contact the Condors office at 324-PUCK (7825).

Notes from The Nest:

Of the six returning players, three are of veteran status (Venedam, Ianiero and Kudelka). ECHL teams are allowed to carry a maximum of four active veterans, players with 260+ professional games played entering 2007-08. With three veterans already inked, the Condors have one more spot available. Note that goaltenders are exempt from this rule.

For all Condors fans still looking to buy fireworks for Independence Day, the Condors Booster Club has a fireworks stand located at the southwest corner of Coffee and Riverlakes Tuesday and Wednesday (July 4) from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Check out the Bakersfield Condors Statistics

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