The Calgary Stampeders have signed Canadian kicker Dawson Hodge.
The 24-year-old went unselected in the 2025 CFL Draft, but spent time in training camp with the Toronto Argonauts and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He played in one pre-season game for the Riders, converting a 31-yard field goal while averaging 64 yards on three kickoffs and punting once for 48 yards.
After his release, Hodge returned to school for his final year of eligibility at Wilfrid Laurier University. He connected on 13-of-17 field goal attempts (76.4 percent) with a long of 44 yards, while adding 48-of-49 extra points. He also punted 47 times for 1,970 yards (41.9 average) with 19 pinned inside the 20-yard line and kicked off 60 times for 3,849 yards (64.1 average) and five touchbacks.
Hodge played 51 games over five seasons with the Golden Hawks, accounting for 419 points during his career. He was successful on 51-of-76 field goals (73.8 percent) with a long of 49 yards, hit on 191 point-afters, averaged 58.3 yards on 258 kickoffs, and 41.4 yards on 302 punts including 72 punts that pinned the opposition inside the 20, and made 19 tackles. He was a first-team OUA all-star and a second-team all-Canadian in 2022, and was also a five-time academic all-Canadian.
The native of Coquitlam, B.C., was a soccer player until his Grade 12 year at Terry Fox Secondary School, when he was taught to kick a football by his neighbour, Canadian Football Hall of-Fame kicker Lui Passaglia. He was also mentored by Hall of Fame CFLpunter Hank Ilesic when he attended the Football North school in Mississauga, Ont., for a post-graduate year.
The Calgary Stampeders finished third in the West Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record, but lost the West Semi-Final to the B.C. Lions. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 4,247 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions over 17 regular-season starts, posting an 11-6 record.
The Stampeders ranked fourth in net offence, seventh in net defence, and second with a turnover differential of plus-nine. Dedrick Mills won the CFL’s rushing title with 1,409 yards, while the team’s leading receiver was Dominique Rhymes with 886 yards, and the leading tackler was Jacob Roberts with 102 tackles. Calgary finished fifth in attendance with average crowds of 22,295, which was a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year.
