Senators sign Hayden Hodgson to a one-year, two-way contract

Ottawa Senators announced that they have signed forward Hayden Hodgson to a one-year, two-way contract.

The contract will have an average annual value (AAV) of $775k at the NHL level and $325k at the American Hockey League (AHL) level.

Hodgson spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate the Ontario Reign. The 28-year-old tallied six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 49 games. Hodgson added one goal and 30 penalty minutes in seven Calder Cup Playoff contests.

Hodgson got a bit of “fame” after levelling Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone during a pre-season game prior to the 2023-24 regular season while playing for the Kings.

The 6-2, 207-pound forward went undrafted to the NHL during his eligible years. It was the Philadelphia Flyers who originally signed Hodgson back in March 2022, on a one-year deal worth $750,000 AAV. He made his NHL debut just two days later, scoring his first NHL goal and adding an assist in a game against the St. Louis Blues.

Previously, Hodgson had spent only one other season of his professional career in the AHL, which was back in 2017-2018. In 41 appearances that year he had just six points. The rest of his career had been spent bouncing around the ECHL. Across four seasons he appeared in 98 games with six different clubs, posting 44 points. He also had a brief stint in Slovakia, playing for HK Nitra where he collected 14 points in 21 games.

A native of Windsor, Ontario, Hodgson played major junior in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Erie Otters, Sarnia Sting and Saginaw Spirit.