Former Top 10 Pick Wants Return To Hockey After 8 Years Retired

He was the 10th overall selection by the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL draft back in 2008. Things never quite panned out as expected, however, and by 2016, Cody Hodgson, then aged 26, was forced to retire due to a rare muscle disorder, called malignant hyperthermia. 

Now, eight years later, he’s got a clean bill of health and is hoping to make a comeback. NHL insider Elliott Friedman tells us:

He skates and trains sive to six times a week, and he would like to try again. I spoke to him this week... He's going to be 34 next month, he understands he's not starting in the NHL, he knows nothing is guaranteed, but he'd like to resume his career and he's looking for an opportunity.

Hodgson last played in the NHL with the Nashville Predators in 2015-16, notching eight points in 39 games, while playing 10 minutes a night. 

Since retiring, he's been a champion for awareness of his condition, working with the RYR-1 Foundation. The disorder affected his muscular system and seemed to be triggered by prolonged exercise. 

“I was having trouble breathing. I was blacking out and my muscles were extremely tight. My whole body was just shaking,” Hodgson told the Vancouver Province a few years back.

He began his career in Vancouver, and spent a year-and-a-half there, before being dealt at the trade deadline in 2012 to the Buffalo Sabres. Hodgson spent four years in Buffalo before finishing his career in Nashville.

Overall, in 326 NHL games, scored 64 goals and recorded 78 assists for 142 points. 

The Toronto-born centre had a dominant junior career with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL, recording 114 goals and 243 points in 197 games. He was named top player in the CHL in 2009. 

We wish Hodgson the best in trying to revive his once-promising career. 

Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports