Patrick King

Cody Hodgson's whirlwind season finally began on Thursday.

BRAMPTON, Ont. -- The Vancouver Canucks' top prospect suited up in his first game since a back injury forced the star back to the Ontario Hockey League in September. The injury was a result of dry-land training during the summer and Hodgson spent the last four months rehabbing before putting it to the test against the Erie Otters.

"I don't want to say it's perfect because obviously it will never be 100 per cent and I understand that, but a good week of practice, and like I said, it was time to test it," Hodgson said following Brampton's 4-2 win. "There was nothing else I could do off the ice."

Once considered a lock for the National Hockey League's Canucks this season, Hodgson was a surprise return to the OHL after suiting up in several exhibition games.

His impressive resume included being named the OHL's Most Outstanding Player and the Canadian Hockey League's Player of the Year last season. Hodgson had also been a pillar on the Canadian world junior team that captured a fifth-consecutive gold-medal in Ottawa.

Had Hodgson made the Canucks, as most expected he would, a return to the world junior hockey championship would have been unlikely. When he failed to rehab his injury back into playing shape in time for the tournament, Hodgson was forced into informing Hockey Canada he would not be available for the tournament in Saskatoon.

"I loved playing in it last year. It's the highlight of my career so far," he said. "If I could have done anything to get there, I would have."

Missing out on the world juniors was one of many disappointments for Hodgson this season. He admitted maintaining a positive mental state was perhaps one of the hardest aspects of his recovery.

"It was frustrating," he acknowledged. "It was tough not to get down. I did what I could and I've worked hard to get to this point now and hopefully that pain doesn't return. Right now it feels pretty good."

Hodgson practiced with the Battalion for several weeks and attended games as a spectator recently. He remained a game-time decision until Thursday morning when he declared himself ready to head coach Stan Butler.

"When he got up this morning he felt pretty good I guess and we came to the rink, I talked to him and he said, 'I think I can go,'" Butler said. "That was the best news I heard in a long time."

The veteran forward looked impressive in his return to action. Hodgson played alongside Sean Jones and Scott Tanski on the team's top unit, and played in every situation. He went 18-for-28 from the faceoff circle and assisted on his team's final two goals.

Butler gave his star plenty of ice time, but was wary of overloading him in his return. He said Hodgson would determine his minutes, and that he played "probably two and a half to three minutes less than what he can play."

Hodgson had numerous occasions to score, but was stymied by Erie's Adam Courchaine throughout the evening. He made a pretty cross-crease feed to Tanski for the eventual game-winning goal late in the second period.

He exhibited the same bursts of speed and elite hockey sense which made him a prized prospect of the Canucks. Erie defencemen had difficulty containing his speed while his shiftiness with the puck created chances for his team.

In short, he looked like the Hodgson junior hockey fans were familiar with a year ago.

The only areas of improvement were his timing on his passes and his finishing. The speed of the game was not an issue for him, but a few of his passes reached his teammates' skates, and not their sticks.

Hodgson also displayed his quick release, but failed to score a goal. He was named the first star of the game.

"The intensity is definitely a lot more (and) you have to make things at a little higher speed," he said. "First couple chances, I'm not sure if I was quite ready for the opportunities. I had tons of shots right in the slot."

Hodgson is excited to salvage the remainder of the season in Brampton. Although the Battalion isn't the same star-studded lineup as a season ago when they won the Eastern Conference championship, Hodgson spoke of his team's potential and the possibility of another long playoff run.

"I'm not looking back now," he said. "I'm happy to be playing now and hopefully that pain doesn't return.

"Just a lot of fun to be back, really."