Heartlanders bring on two more blueliners – returner Henault and rookie Hodass

Coralville, Iowa – The Heartlanders signed two defensemen Friday, adding returning blueliner Louka Henault and rookie Bogdans Hodass (pronounced: BOG-dahns HOH-diss) to the 2024-25 roster. Iowa has agreed to ECHL contracts with nine players, and plan to announce more signings in the coming weeks. 

Henault, 23, registered 15 assists in 49 games (50 PIM) with the Heartlanders last season and has played in 100 ECHL games over two professional campaigns (3g, 30 pts., 78 PIM).

Hodass, 21, has represented Latvia multiple times on the international stage and spent the last three seasons at the major junior level in the WHL with Medicine Hat. In 2023-24, the left-handed shot ranked second among team defensemen with seven goals and third with 28 points. He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 191 pounds.

You may have heard we made some big news in our final game of the 2023-24 season – our first-ever sellout in team history! That game featured a pre-game tailgate and fireworks (literally and figuratively) inside Xtream Arena, and we are going to recreate that high-energy, 5-star fan experience at 5 specific games during the 2024-25 season. Join the fun of those 5 experiences by purchasing our new 5-Star Ticket Package.

Full-season tickets are currently on sale, and deposits can be placed for 18-game plans, group outings, birthday parties, suites and the United Iowa Financial Party Plaza. Call 319-855-1775 to discuss options, or visit this link to make your plans for the 2024-25 season! 

Stay tuned to Iowa Heartlanders social media (@goheartlanders) for upcoming theme night announcements and promotional calendar updates. Sign up here to be notified by text message for team news and updates ahead of the start of the 2024-25 season. 

2024-25 roster

Goaltenders (1): William Rousseau

Defensemen (3): Jules Boscq, Louka Henault, Bogdans Hodass

Forwards (5): Yuki Miura, Will Calverley, Jonny Sorenson, Adam Goodsir, Nico Blachman

Quotables

Head Coach & General Manager Derek Damon: “We’re really excited about Louka’s potential to break out this season. He has a lot of the tools, and talking with our new assistant coach Kevin Schmidt, he’s excited to get to work with Louka and continue his development. Defensemen often take a couple seasons to reach their full potential in the ECHL and now that Louka is in his third year we’re expecting him to have a big summer and be a leader on our blue line.

Bogdans has been a target of ours for a few months since he wrapped up his season. He plays a complete game and can contribute offensively, defensively and physically. Similar to some of our other young players out of major junior, he’s been seasoned to play upwards of 60 and 70 games a season, which is a huge plus in how he’s going to approach this offseason and prepare for his first grind in pro hockey. We’re so happy he’s elected to make the jump into the ECHL with the Iowa Heartlanders.” 

Henault was one of the best point-producers in the OHL while with Windsor, leading league blueliners with 57 assists in 2021-22 (65 pts., 2^nd among OHL defensemen). This will be Henault’s second season competing in the ECHL’s Central Division; he spent the first 1.5 seasons of his career in the South Division with Jacksonville and Orlando.

Hodass played for the Latvian National Team at the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championships. In 2022, he helped Latvia qualify for their first quarterfinal appearance in the country’s history at the World Juniors.