[ChroniK]

http://www.hockeysfu...the_year200809/

Hockey's Future Prospect of the Year 2008-09

Written by: Ian Bross on 05/05/2009

All season long, Hockey’s Future has highlighted the top performances, once monthly, of some of the NHL’s up and coming prospects.

Selections had gone to those prospects not yet established as full-time NHL players. Eligible players spanned the various North American minor pro leagues, and major junior leagues, as well as professional leagues in Europe.

And now, based on the same criteria, Hockey’s Future names its first ever selection for prospect of the year, Cody Hodgson.

Hodgson, a 2008 first-round draft choice of the Vancouver Canucks, received the title of Prospect of the Month in November, and earned an honorable mention in both December and March. No other prospect’s name was as oft-included as Hodgson’s for his efforts in the 2008-09 season.

The captain of the OHL’s Brampton Battalion earned and deserved a great deal of respect for his service this season. Hodgson answered the call of duty with an exceptional start, yet truly exploded at the end of the calendar year. As mentioned he was a force in November and December, with 16 goals and 18 assists in 16 games heading into the World Junior Championships. He recorded three hat tricks over that span.

With such momentum in his favor, Hodgson not surprisingly also shined on the world stage. He put together an excellent performance for the WJC hosts, Team Canada. He bested his teammate, 2009 draft-eligible John Tavares, for most points in the event. Hodgson tallied five goals and 11 assists, helping lead Canada to their fifth consecutive gold medal.

It wasn’t Hodgson’s first international competition of 2008-09. He joined a group of other OHL stars in the ADT Canada/Russia Super Series. Hodgson’s highly touted intangibles came in handy as an assistant captain. Skating on the team’s top line, he helped contribute to the sweep of the two-game set against the Russian selects with three goals and an assist in the opening contest.

Hodgson returned to cap off his third campaign for the Battalion, and put the finishing touches on a breakout season. With 43 goals and 49 assists, he finished fourth in league scoring. Hodgson’s game is far and away more refined than his counterparts in junior. Beyond the scoring, the character, leadership and completeness as a hockey player which he demonstrated was unequalled. It was because of this that he was named this year’s recipient of Red Tilson Trophy, as the OHL’s most outstanding player.

Hodgson’s final endeavor will be to help Brampton earn the J. Ross Robertson Cup. The team dropped the first two games of the championship series to the Windsor Spitfires. They now trail in the series 2-1, however, after a victory on the road in game three in which Hodgson had a goal and an assist.



Cory Schneider

Schneider earned an honorable mention in February. But the Vancouver Canucks prospect was a star in goal all year round in the AHL. Seeing Schneider’s name pop up more often certainly wouldn’t have been unwarranted.

A case could be made for Schneider being near NHL readiness. However, because of Roberto Luongo’s steadfast occupation of the Canucks goal crease, only in emergency situations has Schneider received an opportunity to prove himself. Suddenly in the spotlight when Luongo was temporarily lost to injury, Schneider wasn’t spectacular, but showed considerable poise.

Overall, the 23-year-old has handled his situation gracefully, and has given his all to the Manitoba Moose. With Schneider between the pipes, the Moose found great success in 2008-09. The team won more games than any other during the regular season. Schneider recorded a 28-10-1 record in 40 games played. He managed a league-best 1.81 goals-against average, and .928 save percentage. He registered five shutouts.

Schneider has been even more dominant in the Calder Cup playoffs. In the second-round series against a capable Grand Rapids offense, he has allowed just one goal in each of the first three games. In all three instances the Moose won, and are now a win away from advancing to the Conference Finals where they will meet either Houston or Milwaukee.




Congrats to Cody and Cory. It's great to know that the Canucks have two of the most highly regarded prospects in the world right now. Who else is glad we didn't pick Beach last summer?

[vancanfan]

CONGRATS
CODY

[WOotKesler]

Where IS Beech?

[harman]

huge props to the canucks scouting staff, great picks

[10TRAVIS NUCK10]

nice one.....but who didnt think he wasnt a top prospect ?

[hockeyville88]

hell yea!
i seriously can't wait for him to play for us next season

[Mert]

DOPE!

[stawns]

harman, on May 9 2009, 11:51 AM, said:

huge props to the canucks scouting staff, great picks

huge props for selecting a guy that no one thought could possibly be available at #10? Kudis to MG, but that was as no brainer as it comes.

[Bijannucksfan]

Great. Gillis is finally starting to recover our empty prospect pool

[Canuck_in_AB]

WOotKesler, on May 9 2009, 12:41 PM, said:

Where IS Beech?

I haven't researched it, but last I heard, he purposely fired a puck in to the crowd with a few seconds left of a game in Red Deer, and the WHL suspended him indefinitely. Funny thing is, his team had already won the game. Sort of a different tangent from where Hodgson's path eh? lol.

[avelanch]

Canuck_in_AB, on May 9 2009, 12:30 PM, said:

I haven't researched it, but last I heard, he purposely fired a puck in to the crowd with a few seconds left of a game in Red Deer, and the WHL suspended him indefinitely. Funny thing is, his team had already won the game. Sort of a different tangent from where Hodgson's path eh? lol.

That was a LONG time ago and he only missed 1 game. Beach's team exited in the first round of the playoffs and he went to the Rockford ice hogs. he and Aliu (another hawks prospect) were involved in an off ice situation (details of which were never released) and both were released from the team before the icehogs last game of the playoffs, which they lost. Neither one of them reported to the Blackhawks like the rest of the other hawks prospects on the icehogs. That is all we know.

This post has been edited by avelanch: 09 May 2009 - 12:39 PM

[EliteCanuck]

How furious would CDC be if we selected Beach over Hodgson.

Props to Cody, he deserves it. He is a great all around player that can play in all situations.

[Blister Soul]

Congratulations to both of them. The Canucks future looks a lot brighter than when Burke was drafting (although I think he did draft Schneider).

[kelpulation]

10TRAVIS NUCK10, on May 9 2009, 11:53 AM, said:

nice one.....but who didnt think he wasnt a top prospect ?

haha no one doubted it but to have him named along with those other players is a huge recognition!

schneider has been in the league a while cody is really still a baby. its exciting! you should be more excited!
cody will dominate at the nhl level and leave tavares in the dust.

[Gnickers87]

Blister Soul, on May 9 2009, 12:41 PM, said:

Congratulations to both of them. The Canucks future looks a lot brighter than when Burke was drafting (although I think he did draft Schneider).

That was 2004, so Burke had been fired by then, it was Nonis.

[RobberLuongo]

WOotKesler, on May 9 2009, 11:41 AM, said:

Where IS Beech?

He is a demon.

[BuckleNuckrz]

Frackin rights.


I'll be getting his jersey next year.

[CANUCKS-PRIDEE]

ONE OF THE BEST PICKS BY CANUCKS EVER

though I think he is our best pick ever I can't really say that considering he never even
played in an nhl game yet

[shazzam]

stawns, on May 9 2009, 12:15 PM, said:

huge props for selecting a guy that no one thought could possibly be available at #10? Kudis to MG, but that was as no brainer as it comes.

agreed

kudos to nonis for drafting cory and edler

[Canuck_in_AB]

avelanch, on May 9 2009, 01:39 PM, said:

That was a LONG time ago and he only missed 1 game. Beach's team exited in the first round of the playoffs and he went to the Rockford ice hogs. he and Aliu (another hawks prospect) were involved in an off ice situation (details of which were never released) and both were released from the team before the icehogs last game of the playoffs, which they lost. Neither one of them reported to the Blackhawks like the rest of the other hawks prospects on the icehogs. That is all we know.

Oh yes, I'm aware of that... I think it was in late January, so not really eons ago by any means. Still, judging by all this new information, his future doesn't sound very bright does it?