Cody Hodgson’s stay with the Milwaukee Admirals only lasted three months, but he made a lasting impression.
Hodgson, the 10th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, had been out of hockey since 2016 following a 328-game NHL career. Malignant hyperthermia, a genetic disorder, had seemingly ended Hodgson’s playing career at age 26.
Until Jan. 17 of this year, that is. That’s when Hodgson signed a professional tryout agreement with Milwaukee. It was familiar ground: he had spent the 2015-16 season between Milwaukee and Nashville before being forced off the ice.
After eight years away, Hodgson adapted quickly and fit in well. Helping to manage it was Admirals head coach Karl Taylor, who was an AHL assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks organization when Hodgson was an NHL rookie in Vancouver.
“He’s a great individual,” Taylor said. “He went through a real hard time, and he just wanted to give it the old college try. He was a great pro. He worked really hard, did a lot of great things for us.
“There’s not many people in this world that would have attempted what he did. So it tells me a lot about him. He was a great teammate. The guys loved him. He was all-in. He still had a little old-school in him, which is great around the guys, and he was a joy to be around.”
Hodgson played his first game on Jan. 24 but suffered a broken rib. On Feb. 22, he scored his first goal. On a Milwaukee team brimming with prospects, players who are barely into their 20’s, Taylor wanted them to pay close attention. This was someone who had made it to the NHL. Moreover, he had stuck in the NHL. He had been what these players hope to become someday. And then a health issue took it away.
“You’re able to look at someone who lost the opportunity,” Taylor continued. “He was able to share some things for these young guys that we have here so they understand you don’t get to play forever, unfortunately. Make the most of your time now.”
Hodgson played his final game with the Admirals on Apr. 14. He finished his stint with six goals and two assists in 13 games.
Said Taylor: “Our team is better today because Cody was part of our team.”
With the Washington Capitals falling in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the cavalry has arrived for the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears.
The Bears received a seven-player contingent from their NHL parent club following the Capitals’ season-ending loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday night. Hershey’s title defense starts tonight against Lehigh Valley with Game 1 of the teams’ Atlantic Division semifinal series at Giant Center.
Lucas Johansen, Vincent Iorio and Bears captain Dylan McIlrath all saw playoff action on the Washington blue line. (Iorio was injured in Game 1 against the Rangers and will rehab in Hershey, eligible to rejoin the Bears when he is healthy again.) Forwards Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko are also back after making their Stanley Cup Playoff debuts. Defenseman Hardy Häman Aktell and third-string goaltender Mitch Gibson were extras for the Caps; Haman Aktell played 55 games for Hershey this season, while Gibson spent most of the year with South Carolina (ECHL).
McIlrath, Johansen, Lapierre and Iorio were all part of the Bears’ championship club last season.
― with files from Patrick Williams