From Tryout to NHL Deal. 18 Goals is Tied for Team Lead
March 23, 2022
Lehigh Valley, PA – The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that right wing Hayden Hodgson has been recalled to the Philadelphia Flyers according to Flyers’ President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, Chuck Fletcher. Hodgson had signed an NHL contract on Tuesday for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Hodgson was previously on an AHL contract with the Phantoms.
Hodgson, 26, is tied with Cal O’Reilly for the team lead with 18 goals this season. The Windsor, Ont. native also has 11 assists for 29 points in 44 games.
It has been a break-through season for Hodgson who arrived to Phantoms Training Camp as a tryout candidate while on an ECHL contract with the Reading Royals where he had played in 2019-20. Hodgson impressed in camp and was signed to an AHL contract before the start of the season.
In his first games in the AHL in four years, Hodgson continued to thrive and catch the attention of head coach Ian Laperriere.
“He’s been the biggest surprise on our team,” Laperriere said. “I feel like he came out of nowhere. I didn’t know about him. Nobody here knew about him. I was wondering, ‘Who is this kid?’ and he came on the ice and I saw what he can do. What I like about him is he does everything hard and it starts in practice. And you see the results. The sky’s the limit for him.”
The Sarnia Sting product has played in 98 career games in the ECHL scoring 22-22-44. Last year, he split his time between the Wheeling Nailers and Utah Grizzlies. Two years ago, he scored 12-8-20 with the Reading Royals in 36 games. Hodgson had not played in the AHL since his rookie professional season in 2017-18 when he suited up in 41 games with the Cleveland Monsters scoring 3-3-6.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms continue their road-trip with a Wednesday clash at Hershey followed by a weekend excrsion north of the border including a Friday game at Laval, Quebec and a Saturday matchup at Belleville, Ontario.