# Hayden Hodgson

Hayden Hodgson (born March 2, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Philadelphia Flyers.

## Early life

Hodgson was born on March 2, 1996, in Windsor, Ontario, to Christine and Todd Hodgson. He grew up playing ice hockey, baseball, and golf in Leamington, Ontario, and spent most of his adolescence deciding whether he would pursue hockey or baseball professionally. Despite collecting several awards for golf, he abandoned that sport when his golf swing negatively impacted his baseball batting. Hodgson spent the 2011–12 season playing minor ice hockey for the Sun County Panthers of the Alliance Hockey organization, scoring 21 goals and recording 41 points in 28 games, while pitching for the Windsor Selects under-16 team.

## Playing career
### Junior

The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) drafted Hodgson in the third round, 44th overall, of the 2012 OHL Priority Selection. His first OHL goal came on October 24 as part of the Otters' 7–1 rout of the Saginaw Spirit. He did not score again until November 23, when he recorded the first goal in the Otters' 3–2 loss to the Guelph Storm. On February 24, Hodgson collided with Henri Ikonen of the Kingston Frontenacs. He was assessed a major interference penalty and was ejected from the game, while Ikonen, who was leading the Frontenacs at that point with 48 points, sustained a concussion. The OHL issued Hodgson a ten-game suspension for the hit, and as the suspension came with only seven games left in the 2012–13 season, Hodgson's rookie year ended early. He recorded eight goals and 12 points in 60 games.
Hodgson recorded the first goal of his sophomore OHL season on November 11, 2013, in a 5–3 win over the Niagara IceDogs. After acquiring four goals, nine points, and 45 penalty minutes in 34 games with Erie during the 2013–14 season, Hodgson was traded to the Sarnia Sting on January 10, 2014, in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2015 OHL priority selection draft. In his first game with his new team, Hodgson was assessed a major penalty for an illegal check to the head of Plymouth Whalers skater Liam Dunda. After review, he was suspended for another 10 games. After the trade, Hodgson recorded five goals, nine points, and 19 penalty minutes in 18 games with Sarnia.
After joining the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Detroit Red Wings' rookie camp on a free agent tryout, Hodgson returned to the Sting for the 2014–15 season. He began the 2015–16 season with Sarnia. On January 12, 2016, the Sting sent Hodgson to the Saginaw Spirit in exchange for centre Devon Paliani and four draft picks in the 2016 draft. Hodgson had struggled to that point with the Sting, with only five goals in 36 games.

### Professional

Hodgson went undrafted by NHL teams. On March 23, 2017, Hodgson signed a contract with the Cleveland Monsters, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets. He played one season with Cleveland, but it went poorly and Hodgson spent the next two years splitting time between three teams in the ECHL, the Florida Everblades, Manchester Monarchs, and Wichita Thunder. He then went to Europe, playing with HC 07 Detva in Slovakia. He returned to North America for the 2019–20 season, playing in the ECHL with the Reading Royals. However, he suffered a serious cut to his leg during play and missed two months. The Royals chose not to resume play during the pandemic in the 2020–21 season, but Hodgson wanted to play and he was first sent to the Wheeling Nailers and then the Utah Grizzlies. He returned to the Royals for the 2021–22 season, but tried out for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, the affiliate of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. He earned a two-way contract with the Phantoms.
On March 22, 2022, the Flyers signed Hodgson to an NHL contract for the remainder of the 2021–22 season, with an average annual value of $750,000. He made his NHL debut two nights later when the Flyers faced the St. Louis Blues, filling in for an injured Oskar Lindblom. At the time, he had recorded 16 goals and 29 points in 44 games with the Phantoms. Hodgson recorded his first NHL goal and assist in his debut, and the Flyers won 5–2 at the Enterprise Center, their first win on the road of 2022.
On June 6, 2023, Hodgson was sent to the Los Angeles Kings as part of a three-team trade with Philadelphia and Columbus. Hodgson played the entire 2023–24 season for the Kings' AHL affiliate Ontario Reign.
On July 2, 2024, the Ottawa Senators signed Hodgson as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract. He passed through waivers, going unclaimed, and was assigned to Belleville to start the 2024–25 season.

## Career statistics

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2011–12 | Sun County Panthers U16 AAA | ALLIANCE | 42 | 29 | 25 | 54 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011–12 | Leamington Flyers | GOJHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | Erie Otters | OHL | 60 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | Erie Otters | OHL | 34 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 59 | 23 | 15 | 38 | 62 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 2015–16 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 36 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 20 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 2016–17 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 67 | 38 | 28 | 66 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Cleveland Monsters | AHL | 41 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Florida Everblades | ECHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Manchester Monarchs | ECHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Wichita Thunder | ECHL | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | HC 07 Detva | 2HL | 21 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 43 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2019–20 | Reading Royals | ECHL | 36 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Wheeling Nailers | ECHL | 18 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Utah Grizzlies | ECHL | 26 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 86 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 2021–22 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 46 | 19 | 12 | 31 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 44 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023–24 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 49 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 116 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 30 |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — |