Fan In Van

Hats Off To Hodgson

Be honest here, folks. Which of you wanted Kyle Beach at the NHL draft in June?

I’m probably jumping the gun here seeing as how the Canucks’ Cody Hodgson and  the Hawks’ Kyle Beach have played a total of zero NHL games combined, but let’s be honest: At this point and time, six months after the draft took place, Cody Hodgson is far and away the better of the two players.

And perhaps even more delightful for Canucks fans is the fact that Hodgson may be far and away better than a handful of the NHL players taken before him in the draft of 2008. With all due respect to the players in the NHL taken ahead of Hodgson (Stamkos, Doughty, Bogosian, Schenn and Bailey), it seemed clear after the World Juniors that Hodgson’s play was superior to that of blueliner and fellow Canadian teammate Alex Pietrangelo, Russia’s Nikita Filatov and the U.S. forward Colin Wilson.

Now, you can make the argument that Hodgson had a handful of talent to help him, but let’s look at the stats closely. Not only did Hodgson finish the tournament with the scoring lead (5 goals, 16 points) but he made the Canadian offense go. Hodgson was the engine of the Canadian train that rode to its fifth straight Gold medal victory, and you’d get little argument from his teammates.

Which is why I was a little upset Hodgson was overlooked as the most valuable player of the tournament and not even named among the top three players for Team Canada (The honours went to John Tavares, Jordan Eberle and P.K. Subban). Hodgson was a leader on the ice and on the scoresheet for Canada since the pre-tournament exhibition games were he had six points in two games. His solid two-way play and ability to make flawless cross-crease passes to Tavares should’ve merited a top three selection, at the very least.

But don’t get me wrong; perhaps the most valuable player honours was well deserved for John Tavares. He’s a dynamic scoring forward who scored some big goals for Canada and was easily the most talented forward in the tournament. But as TSN’s Bob McKenzie worded it, Hodgson was the best all-around player for Canada. He was able to formulate chemistry with Edmonton draft pick Jordan Eberle and Carolina stud Zach Boychuk to make a formidable second line that was every bit as lethal as Tavares’ top unit.

And let’s not forget the intangibles Hodgson brought to the table. As a competitor in several international tournaments such as the under-18s, he had both experience and leadership to offer. And if you watched Hodgson during the singing of the national anthem, unlike some of his teammates, he didn’t “Wooooo” when the camera panned to him; instead, Hodgson smiled and sang to the anthem quietly, taking in the victory with every ounce of maturity he has approached the game of hockey with.

Vancouver Canuck fans have a lot to look forward to with Cody Hodgson. This may also be the first time the Canucks have had a prospect who has led the World Junior Championships in scoring. And while there’s an outside chance Hodgson may yet suit up again for the red and white next year in Saskatoon, there may be an even greater chance the Markham, Ontario native will be enjoying rookie success in the blue, green and white.