The 2008-09 hockey season finally came to an end for London Knights' defenceman John Carlson Friday night when he helped capture a Calder Cup Championship with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. The Bears, an affiliate to the NHL's Washington Capitals, defeated the Manitoba Moose 4-1 in game six of the final series.
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After playing 14 games in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs where he scored seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points, Carlson joined the Bears and played in the final 16 games of their championship run contributing two goals and one assist down the stretch.
The 19-year-old from Colonia, New Jersey, had an all-star season with the Knights scoring 16 goals and 60 assists for 76 points in 59 games to finish second in scoring amongst defencemen. He was drafted 27th overall by Washington at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
While Carlson celebrates his success, Cody Hodgson of the Brampton Battalion falls short of winning another league championship this season. Hodgson, selected 10th overall by the Vancouver Canucks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, was called up by the Canucks' AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose where he played 11 games scoring two goals and four assists for six points. Hodgson led the Battalion in playoff scoring with 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 21 games losing to the Windsor Spitfires in five games during the OHL Finals.
Click here to read more about the seven OHL graduates that won a Calder Cup Championship with the Hershey Bears including goaltender Michal Neuvirth (Plymouth/Windsor/Oshawa) who was named Playoff MVP.
