While training in the 2009 off-season, Hodgson suffered a back injury that required him to take an entire year off of hockey in order to fully recover.

However, due to missing classes from his commitments to the Canucks' training camp and a subsequent university staff strike, he placed his academics on hiatus.

[19] The following season, he joined the Battalion wearing number 19 in honour of his favourite hockey player growing up, Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings.

Scouting reports and former coaches emphasized Hodgson's hockey sense and character,[22][24] while Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis cited his leadership as a strong factor in drafting him.

Joined by teammates Matt Duchene, Evgeny Grachev and Thomas McCollum for the Eastern Conference,[38] Hodgson received player of the game honours after a five-point effort in an 11–6 win.

[39] The annual OHL coaches poll distinguished Hodgson as the smartest player (for the second consecutive season), the hardest worker, the best on faceoffs and the best penalty killer.

[44] Early in the subsequent playoff season, Hodgson received his second OHL Player of the Month recognition for March (26 points in 11 games).

[49] Advancing past the Aeros, Moose Head Coach Scott Arniel chose not to play Hodgson in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals against the Hershey Bears.

[53] After being cleared to play by Canucks team doctors on September 11, 2009,[55] and a back specialist in Toronto,[3] Hodgson was again expected to secure a roster spot during training camp.

[55] In response, then-Canucks Head Coach Alain Vigneault publicly speculated whether Hodgson was simply having a hard time being cut and was trying to "roll the [blame] in another direction.

[55] Due to Hodgson's misdiagnosis, which was not corrected until a year later, subsequent treatment and rehabilitation was designed for a bulging disc, which further aggravated his real injury – a muscle strain.

[54] After missing the first 50 games of the 2009–10 OHL season, Hodgson returned to the Battalion line-up on February 4, 2010, recording two assists in a 4–2 win against the Erie Otters.

[61] Following his return, he declared he would no longer be training in the off-season with Canucks Director of Player Development Dave Gagner, under whose supervision he suffered his back injury.

[67] In Game 5 of the series, he scored his 20th career playoff goal in the OHL, surpassing Wojtek Wolski for the all-time lead among Battalion players.

Team management explained to the media his call-up was a means to introduce him to NHL play and that they were more comfortable having him continue developing in the AHL with first-line minutes and a bigger role with the Moose.

[79] However, with the team's fourth-line centre role unfilled (Alain Vigneault had been using natural winger Tanner Glass in that position), he was called back to Vancouver within ten days.

[80] Hodgson played three more games for the Canucks before the team acquired fourth-line centre Maxim Lapierre from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline on February 28.

[82] He registered his first NHL playoff point in Game 2 of the opening round against the Chicago Blackhawks, assisting on a goal by defenceman Alexander Edler in a 4–3 win.

[83] Hodgson drew in and out of the line-up throughout the post-season, appearing in 12 of the Canucks' 25-game playoff run, which ended in a Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals.

With the centre position on the second line vacant, Hodgson competed with the newly acquired Andrew Ebbett to temporarily replace Kesler.

[84] After wearing 39 on his jersey the previous season as a rookie,[notes 2] Hodgson switched to 9, a number historically associated in the NHL with high-profile players.

By mid-season, his success as a rookie led many in the media to question the 10–12 minutes of ice time Alain Vigneault routinely allotted him per game.

"[96] Another Sun article likened the deal to a lopsided 1996 trade between the Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins in which two first-round prospects of opposite playing styles – the skilled Markus Näslund and the larger, more aggressive Alek Stojanov – were exchanged.

[97] Hodgson made his Sabres debut two days after the trade, registering four shots on goal and 16 minutes of ice time in a 2–0 win against the Anaheim Ducks.

With the option to buy-out his contract at a lower rate due to his age, on June 29, 2015, the Sabres, in the midst of a rebuild, placed Hodgson on unconditional waivers in order for a release to free agency.

[citation needed] Hodgson first competed internationally for Canada at the 2007 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Hodonín, Czech Republic, and Piešťany, Slovakia.

[120] Hodgson finished with a tournament-high 12 points in seven games, leading Canada as team captain to its second IIHF World U18 gold medal with an 8–0 victory over tournament host Russia.

[126] In the following round-robin game against the United States, he scored the game-winning goal in a 7–4 win to lead Team Canada to first place in their pool and a bye to the semi-finals.

[129] Returning from the tournament, Hodgson was asked to drop the ceremonial faceoff for a Toronto Maple Leafs game against the Florida Panthers on January 6, 2009.

[130] Leading up to the 2010 World Junior Championships in Saskatchewan, Hodgson was named to Team Canada's selection camp roster on December 2, 2009, despite not yet playing in an OHL game during the 2009–10 season due to a back injury.