Veteran Hodgman back with Komets

Fort Wayne, Ind. -The Fort Wayne Komets announced that veteran center Justin Hodgman has agreed to terms and will be reunited with the Fort Wayne club for the 2017-18 season.

Hodgman, 29, will finally get a chance to skate a full regular season with Fort Wayne after winning three International Hockey League Turner Cup championships with the Komets in 2008, 2009 and 2010.  

In 2007-08, after completing his third Ontario Hockey League season with Erie and leading the Otters for the second straight season with 80 points in 64 games, Hodgman joined the Komets for the final 11 games of the regular season and made his pro debut helping the Komets win the IHL regular-season title before leading Fort Wayne to the 2008 IHL Turner Cup championship with team playoff highs of seven goals, seven assists and 14 points in all 13 games. The highlight of the post-season was Hodgman scoring the Turner Cup championship game winner in the third overtime of the seventh game against Port Huron and earning the IHL 2008 Playoffs MVP Award.

In 2008-09, the Brampton, Ontario native returned to Erie to complete his fourth and final OHL season. He led the Otters for the third straight season with 66 points in 66 games before returning to Fort Wayne for the final six games of the regular season and another IHL regular season title. Hodgman appeared in all 11 playoff games and collected his second Turner Cup championship.

Hodgman followed the 2008-09 season with a signed NHL contract with Chicago and was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hodgman made his AHL debut with the Marlies skating 42 games while also appearing in 33 ECHL games with Toledo during 2009-10 before re-joining the Komets to once again help Fort Wayne to a third straight IHL Turner Cup crown ranking second with 12 assists and 16 points in 10 playoff appearances.

The center made his European debut in 2011-12 with the Pelicans in Finland in the SM-Liiga elite league, leading the team with 39 assists and ranking second with 53 points in 59 games. Hodgman was on board to help guide the Pelicans to the playoff finals.

In 2012 Hodgman move to the KHL where he spent two seasons with Magnitogorsk Metallurg, Nizhny Novgorod and Vladivostok. In 2014, he signed an NHL two-way contract with Arizona and after starting the year with the AHL's Portland Pirates, made the best of his first NHL game by scoring the game-tying goal in a 2-1 overtime win for the Coyotes.

Hodgman split 2015-16 between the AHL's Chicago Wolves and Orebro in the Swedish elite league.

Last season, Hodgman started the year with Pardubice of the Czech Republic League and completed the campaign with a return to SM-Liiga in Finland and another stint with the Pelicans.

Hodgman's career has yielded AHL totals of 82 points (30g-52a) in 157 games and Fort Wayne totals, including playoffs, of 58 points (25g-33a) in 54 games.