Hayden Hodgson Makes NHL Debut on Thursday For Philadelphia

WICHITA, Kan. (Mar. 25) - The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers, American Hockey League's Bakersfield Condors and powered by Toyota, are excited to announce that former Thunder forward Hayden Hodgson made his NHL debut last night for the Philadelphia Flyers in a 5-2 win against the St. Louis Blues. 

He becomes the sixth player in franchise history to appear in a Thunder uniform before making it to the NHL level. He is also just the second forward in team history to join the NHL ranks with Jack Rodewald being the last player to do so in 2017 for the Ottawa Senators. The other four players to make it to the big stage while playing in Wichita first were all goaltenders (Scott Darling, Chris Driedger, Tyler Bunz, Stuart Skinner).

Hodgson was acquired in a trade with the Toledo Walleye prior to the start of the 2018-19 season. He played in 13 games for the Thunder, collecting four points (2g, 2a) before pursuing an opportunity overseas.  

The 26-year-old native of Windsor, Ontario played in parts of four seasons in the ECHL with six different teams. He was recently signed to a NHL contract with the Flyers after a terrific start to the season for their AHL affiliate, Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He is tied for the team-lead with 18 goals and has 29 points in 44 games this season. 

On Thursday, he assisted on the Flyers' opening goal by Tomas Konecny and finished with his first NHL goal in the third period. 

Wichita returns to action tonight at 8:10 p.m. CST against the Idaho Steelheads.

Our St. Hattrick's Day jerseys are now live on DASH. Click HERE to bid on your favorite player's uniform. Bidding ends on Friday at 8:30 p.m. CST.

Single game tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the Wichita Thunder office located at 505 W. Maple, Suite 100, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On weekday game days, the Thunder office closes at 4 p.m. Click here to purchase online!

Fans can also purchase tickets at the Select-A-Seat Box Office at INTRUST Bank Arena Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and starting at noon on weekend game days.