Hayden Hodgson To Attend Hearing With NHL Player Safety

Hayden Hodgson will have a hearing today for his hit on LA Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke, NHL Player Safety announced. This was first reported by Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.

That injury came at 11:15 of the second period, following a dump-in by the Kings’ Thursday night opponent, the Ottawa Senators. Hodgson, speeding into the opposite corner of his zone entry at 21 mph, according to the game broadcast, committed his left elbow to the head of Clarke, which slammed into the corner boards. Hodgson received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. Clarke willed himself to one knee following the collision and later skated off, but was visibly maimed by the hit.

Clarke played 11:37 of ice time, registering an assist before the hit in the Kings’ 6-5 overtime win over Ottawa. Hodgson played just under five minutes of TOI before he was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the infraction.

The 30-year-old has played in just 24 NHL games and yet has amassed 51 penalties in minutes across that timeframe, 24 of which have come in five games with Ottawa in 2026-27. In each of his last three AHL campaigns, Hodgson has reached over 100 penalties in minutes, totaling nearly 600 in the American League. In his four ECHL seasons, he surpassed 200 minutes in that stat and in the OHL before, over 300 minutes. So Hodgson and the box are certainly familiar.

This is not Hodgson’s first offense in the world of professional North American hockey. Earlier this 2026 in February, Hodgson received a five-game suspension for an elbow hit made against the Cleveland Monsters on January 31st. Similarly, this play came from a forecheck as well, marking his fourth suspension as a pro.

The forward has a year remaining on his two-year contract at $850K AAV.