Hodge was selected by Minnesota in the third round (46th overall) of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He then played three seasons with Boston College, beginning his professional career in 1987–88 with the Kalamazoo Wings in the International Hockey League. He played three seasons with Kalamazoo, making his NHL debut with five games with the North Stars in 1988–89. He was traded to the Boston Bruins on August 21, 1990 in exchange for the draft pick later used to select Dallas star defensive forward and multiple Selke Trophy winner Jere Lehtinen.