Word I have is that Dan Hodge, son of Ken Sr. and brother of Ken Jr., may be
returning to Merrimack next season.  Hodge is a solid offensive-minded
defenseman who is nonetheless very good defensively, and he would instantly
give the Warriors the type of scoring ability on the blue line that they
have lacked for a few years.  Hodge played only 11 games early last season
and had two goals and three assists in that time as a freshman, and he looked
very good.  But he injured his hand and then left school after some academic
difficulties, and he is now playing in the Midwest in the USJHL.  His showing
in those 11 games was enough to convince Boston to draft him in the June NHL
draft.  He would return as a junior next season a little wiser and a lot
better.
 
Hodge's teammate (forget his name), also a talented defenseman, is likewise
supposed to be headed to Merrimack, and this would be a real coup for Coach
Ron Anderson to get these two players with solid junior experience to join
his club.  Anderson will not be losing any of his top six defenseman after
this season, and having these two combined with Mark Cornforth, Bryan Miller,
and Alex Weinrich would instantly give Merrimack a superb defensive core.
The defense has already improved drastically over the past two years, and it
looks like things will only get better.  Knock on wood...
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Mike Machnik        [log in to unmask]       [log in to unmask]