Cody Hodgson Cody Hodgson ( born February 18 , 1990 ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . During his major junior career with the Brampton Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League ( OHL ) , Hodgson has received First Team All - Star honours , won the Red Tilson Trophy , William Hanley Trophy and CHL Player of the Year Award in 2009 . He has been named to two OHL All - Star Games , holding the record for most goals and points in a single game . Hodgson has represented Canada at two International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) — sanctioned events , winning gold and leading tournament scoring at both — the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships and 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships . In 2007 , he won a gold medal with Ontario at the Canada Games . He also represented Canada at the 2007 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament , finishing fourth . Early life . Hodgson was born in Toronto , Ontario , to Marie and Chris Hodgson . His father is the president of the Ontario Mining Association and a former Ontario provincial Progressive Conservative cabinet minister in Premier Mike Harris ' s government , while his mother is the executive director of a day care . He has an older brother , Clayton , who attends Brock University , and two sisters , Charlotte and Caroline , who play organized hockey . Hodgson grew up in Haliburton with his family until they moved to Markham , Ontario , in 1998 . Hodgson began playing organized hockey at age four in Haliburton , Ontario . Playing for the OMHA ' s Haliburton Huskies Tyke rep team , he was linemates with Matt Duchene . The two went on to become childhood friends and played together with the Battalion , as well as other minor league teams . His family was also friends with Jeff Skinner ' s family growing up . Hodgson played peewee and minor bantam hockey with the Toronto Jr . Canadiens of the Greater Toronto Hockey League , captaining a team that included Alex Pietrangelo . He advanced to the bantam ranks with the Markham Waxers of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association in 2004 - 05 and the Midget club in 2005 - 06 . Hodgson also played in two games with the Markham Waxers Jr . A . club in 2005 – 06 . He recorded a 51 - point campaign over 31 games that season with the Waxers Midgets . Hodgson played on the Waxers for several years alongside Steven Stamkos and Michael Del Zotto . He attended Buttonville Public School and Unionville High School in Markham , the latter of which he helped win numerous hockey tournaments . Following his draft by the Vancouver Canucks , Hodgson was accepted into the business program at York University for the 2008 fall semester . However , due to missing classes from his commitments to the Canucks ' training camp and a subsequent university staff strike , he placed his academics on hiatus . In December 2009 , Hodgson was chosen to be the city of Markham ' s official torchbearer for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver . The torch passed through Markham on its way to Vancouver on December 17 , 2009 , on day 49 of the cross - country relay . Playing career . Brampton Battalion . Hodgson was drafted 17th overall by the Brampton Battalion in the 2006 OHL Priority Selection . The following season , Hodgson joined the Battalion and led the team in rookie scoring with 23 goals and 46 points in 2006 – 07 . He added four points in four playoff games as the Battalion were eliminated by the Barrie Colts in the first round . In his second season with Brampton , Hodgson improved to 85 points in 68 games , second in team - scoring , behind centre John Hughes . He was chosen to the Eastern Conference squad in the 2008 OHL All - Star Classic and scored one goal . Hodgson added five goals in five playoff games , as Brampton was eliminated in the opening round for the second straight season by Barrie . Heading into the 2008 NHL Entry Draft , Hodgson was ranked ninth among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau . He went on to be chosen 10th overall by the Vancouver Canucks . Scouting reports and former coaches emphasized Hodgson ' s hockey sense and character , while Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis cited his leadership as a strong factor in drafting him . After the 2007 – 08 season , OHL coaches had voted him the smartest player in the Eastern Conference . As his skating was considered a weakness , he spent the subsequent off - season training to improve it . Hodgson was expected to compete for a roster spot on the Canucks immediately after being drafted . He was signed to a three - year , entry - level contract worth the rookie maximum of $ 2 . 625 million on October 5 , 2008 . However , the next day , he was sent back to Brampton for the 2008 – 09 season . Upon his return , Hodgson was named the ninth captain in Battalion team history . He succeeded forward Thomas Stajan , who served as captain for the start of the season while Hodgson was competed in the NHL pre - season . Stajan , himself , had replaced defenceman John de Gray , who had turned professional . Chosen to represent the OHL in the 2008 ADT Canada - Russia Challenge in November , Hodgson recorded a hat trick and added an assist in the first of two games against Russia ; he was chosen as game MVP . He went on to complete the month of November with 27 points in 13 games to be named OHL Player of the Month . Hodgson had also been chosen as the OHL Player of the Week for the week ending on November 9 after scoring nine points in three games . After a second Player of the Week recognition , scoring seven points in three games for the week ending February 1 , 2009 , Hodgson participated in the 2009 OHL All - Star Classic . Joined by teammates Matt Duchene , Evgeny Grachev and Thomas McCollum for the Eastern Conference , Hodgson received player of the game honours after a five - point effort in an 11 – 6 win . He recorded a hat trick , along with Western Conference representative Justin DiBenedetto , to tie Scott Barney , who first scored three goals in 1999 , for the OHL All - Star Game record . Hodgson ' s five points also tied the All - Star Game record for most points ( shared by five others ) . He recorded another record later in the month with a 23 - game point - scoring streak , registering 17 goals , 23 assists and 40 points in that span . The streak was both a Battalion club record and OHL season - high . Hodgson finished the season with 43 goals and 92 points in 53 games , fourth in league scoring . The annual OHL coaches poll distinguished Hodgson as the smartest player ( for the second consecutive season ) , the hardest worker , the best on faceoff s and the best penalty kill er . In addition to OHL First All - Star Team honours , he was awarded both the William Hanley Trophy as the league ' s most sportsmanlike player and the Red Tilson Trophy as OHL player of the year . The media voted Hodgson ahead of forward John Tavares and goaltender Mike Murphy for the Tilson award . He was then distinguished over fellow major junior league MVP ' s Brett Sonne of the Western Hockey League ( WHL ) and Nicola Riopel of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League ( QMJHL ) as the CHL Player of the Year . Early in the subsequent playoff season , Hodgson received his second OHL Player of the Month recognition for March ( 26 points in 11 games ) . He helped the Battalion advance to the OHL Finals , where they lost the J . Ross Robertson Cup to the Windsor Spitfires . He led his team with 31 points in the post - season . Following the Battalion ' s playoff elimination , Hodgson was assigned to the Canucks ' American Hockey League ( AHL ) affiliate , the Manitoba Moose for their 2009 playoff run . Making his professional debut with the Moose in Game 1 of the semifinals against the Houston Aeros , he notched an assist on the game ' s first goal for his first professional point . He followed up with his first professional goal the next night , a wrist shot against Aeros goaltender Nolan Schaefer , in a 5 – 2 victory . While Hodgson started on the fourth line for the Moose , he quickly moved his way up to the second line with fellow Canucks first - round pick Michael Grabner . Advancing past the Aeros , Moose head coach Scott Arniel chose not to play Hodgson in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals against the Hershey Bears . Arniel explained the decision was attributed to fatigue on Hodgson ' s part from a lengthy season in the juniors ( including the 2009 World Juniors and a lengthy OHL playoff - run ) . He returned the next game to help the Moose stave off elimination with a goal in a 3 – 2 Game 5 victory . Manitoba went on to lose the Calder Cup in Game 6 by a 4 – 1 score . Hodgson ' s assisted on the Moose ' s lone tally by Mario Bliznak . Preparing for the Canucks ' training camp for the 2009 – 10 season , Hodgson injured his back while working out in the summer . The injury , which was misdiagnosed as a bulging disc in his lower back , caused him to miss two months of summer training . After being cleared to play by Canucks team doctors on September 11 , 2009 , and a back specialist in Toronto , Hodgson was again expected to secure a roster spot during training camp . After struggling in six pre - season games , he was returned to the Brampton Battalion on September 29 , in the final round of cuts . Hodgson subsequently sought a third opinion regarding his back at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio . In response , Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault publicly speculated whether Hodgson was simply having a hard time being cut and was trying to " roll the [ blame ] in another direction . " Despite having been cleared earlier to play in the pre - season by two sets of doctors , the Cleveland Clinic judged him unfit to play for a month . Previously undetected nerve damage in one leg was also revealed . Due to Hodgson ' s misdiagnosis , which was not corrected until a year later , subsequent treatment and rehabilitation was designed for a bulging disc , which further aggravated his real injury – a muscle strain . After missing the first 50 games of the 2009 – 10 OHL season , Hodgson returned to the Battalion lineup on February 4 , 2010 , recording two assists in a 4 – 2 win against the Erie Otters . Following his return , he declared he would no longer be training in the off - season with the Canucks ' director of player development , Dave Gagner , under whose supervision he suffered his back injury . Combined with the Canucks doctor ' s initial misdiagnosis and Vigneault ' s disparaging comments regarding Hodgson following the NHL pre - season , there was speculation in the media of a possible conflict between Hodgson and the Canucks organization . General manager Mike Gillis dismissed such speculation . Eight days after his OHL return , Hodgson suffered another injury , breaking a toe on his right foot while blocking a shot against the Sudbury Wolves . Initial X - rays came up negative and he continued playing for nine more games before a second X - ray revealed a hairline fracture in one his right metatarsal bone s . Missing the Battalion ' s final five regular season games , he finished the campaign with eight goals and 20 points over 13 contests . Despite missing the majority of the season , he was voted as the smartest player in the Eastern Conference for the third consecutive year in the OHL coaches poll . Hodgson returned to the Brampton lineup for the opening game of the 2010 playoffs , scoring the game - winning goal against the Kingston Frontenacs . In Game 5 of the series , he scored his 20th career playoff goal in the OHL , surpassing Wojtek Wolski for the all - time lead among Battalion players . The Battalion eliminated the Frontenacs in seven games , before being ousted in four games by Barrie in the second round . Hodgson completed the post - season with 10 points in 11 games , second in team - scoring to Sean Jones . He admitted publicly after the playoffs that his health " was never 100 percent " during the 2009 – 10 season . The Battalion ' s playoff elimination marked the end of Hodgson ' s four - year OHL career . He left Brampton ranked second on the club ' s all - time scoring list behind Wojtek Wolski in regular season goals ( 114 ) , assists ( 129 ) , points ( 243 ) , powerplay goals ( 46 ) and shorthanded goals ( 7 ) , while ranking first in game - winning goals ( 23 ) . In playoff games , he left as the all - time leader in goals ( 20 ) , assists ( 30 ) and points ( 50 ) . Following his 2009 – 10 OHL season , it was expected Hodgson would join the Manitoba Moose for a second consecutive AHL playoff season . However , after being assessed by Canucks team doctors , his broken toe was judged to have not yet fully healed and he was not cleared for AHL assignment . Hodgson additionally believed that he had re - injured his back while colliding head - first into the boards during Game 7 of the opening playoff round . He underwent an MRI in the off - season , which uncovered the misdiagnosed bulging disc to be a muscle strain instead . With the Canucks ' consent , he trained in the off - season with former NHL player Gary Roberts . Vancouver Canucks . After challenging for a Canucks ' roster spot once again during the team ' s 2010 training camp , he was assigned to the Manitoba Moose . He scored his first regular season AHL goal against goaltender Peter Delmas of the Hamilton Bulldogs on October 22 , 2010 . With the score tied 3 – 3 after overtime , Hodgson added a shootout goal to help the Moose win the game . Later in December 2010 , Hodgson suffered a broken orbital bone after he was high - sticked by Lee Sweatt during a team practice . Eight days after returning to the Moose lineup , Hodgson earned his first NHL call - up to Vancouver . Hodgson made his NHL debut on February 1 , 2011 , in a 4 – 1 win against the Dallas Stars . Centring the fourth line and playing on the second powerplay unit , he registered two shots in over nine minutes of ice time . The following day , he scored his first NHL goal against Ilya Bryzgalov in a 6 – 0 win against the Phoenix Coyotes . In his third game , he recorded his first career NHL assist on a goal by Christian Ehrhoff against the Chicago Blackhawks ; Vancouver won 4 – 3 . After appearing in his first five NHL games , Hodgson was returned to the Moose on February 11 . Team management explained to the media his call - up was a means to introduce him to NHL play and that they were more comfortable having him continue developing in the AHL with first - line minutes and a bigger role with the Moose . However , with the team ' s fourth - line centre role unfilled ( Vigneault had been using natural winger Tanner Glass in that position ) , he was called back to Vancouver within 10 days . Hodgson played three more games for the Canucks before the team acquired fourth - line centre Maxim Lapierre from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline on February 28 . He was subsequently sent back down to Manitoba . He completed his professional rookie season with 30 points in 52 AHL games – ranking fifth in Moose scoring – and 2 points in 8 NHL games . At the end of the regular season , Hodgson was called up to the Canucks for the 2011 playoffs . He registered his first NHL playoff point in Game 2 of the opening round against the Chicago Blackhawks , assisting on a goal by defenceman Alex Edler in a 4 – 3 win . Hodgson drew in and out of the lineup throughout the post - season , appearing in 12 of the Canucks ' 25 - game playoff run , which ended in a Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals . During the off - season , Canucks centre Ryan Kesler underwent hip surgery , sidelining him for the start of the 2011 – 12 campaign . Hodgson competed with the newly - acquired Andrew Ebbett to temporarily replace Kesler on the second line and emerged with the position out of training camp . After wearing 39 on his jersey the previous season as a rookie , Hodgson switched to 9 , a number historically associated with high - profile players . He had previously spoken to team trainers regarding the number , but decided " it ' s something you have to earn , make the team first . " International play . Hodgson first competed internationally for Canada at the 2007 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Hodonín , Czech Republic and Piešťany , Slovakia . Although favoured to win the tournament , Canada finished in fourth place . He scored two goals in the 5 – 4 bronze medal game loss to Russia . In total , Hodgson contributed a team - high five points in four games , tied with Steven Stamkos . Hodgson also represented Ontario later that year at the 2007 Canada Winter Games , winning gold over Manitoba 6 – 4 in the gold medal game . Hodgson next represented Canada at the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships in Kazan , Russia . Playing in the quarter - finals against Finland , Hodgson was named player of the game after scoring the game winning goal in a 2 – 1 victory . Hodgson finished with a tournament - high 12 points in seven games , leading Canada as team captain to its second IIHF World U18 gold medal with an 8 – 0 victory over tournament host Russia . He was chosen as one of Canada ' s three top players by tournament coaches , along with forward Jordan Eberle and goaltender Jake Allen . In his third year of junior , Hodgson was selected to compete in the 2009 World Junior Championships with Team Canada in Ottawa . He was chosen as an alternate captain to defenceman Thomas Hickey . In the second round - robin game against Kazakhstan , Hodgson accumulated six points ( two goals and four assists ) , coming within one point of the single - game Canadian record held by Mike Cammalleri and Dave Andreychuk . The following round - robin game against the United States , he scored the game winning goal in a 7 – 4 win to lead Team Canada to first place in their pool and a bye to the semi - finals . Facing Sweden in the final game , Hodgson scored two goals – one on the powerplay and an empty - netter – and one assist to overtake John Tavares as the tournament leading scorer with five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in six games . Team Canada defeated Sweden 5 – 1 to capture the gold medal while Hodgson was named to the Tournament All - Star Team . Returning from the tournament , Hodgson was asked to drop the ceremonial faceoff for a Toronto Maple Leafs game against the Florida Panthers on January 6 , 2009 . Leading up to the 2010 World Junior Championships in Saskatchewan , Hodgson was named to Team Canada ' s selection camp roster on December 2 , 2009 , despite not yet playing in an OHL game during the 2009 – 10 season due to a back injury . However , he notified Hockey Canada five days later that his back was not yet ready and that he would not participate in the selection camp .