Benjamin Gleason (born March 25, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Ben Gleason
Gleason with the Texas Stars in 2022
Born (1998-03-25) March 25, 1998 (age 26)
Ortonville, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams
Philadelphia Flyers
Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL)
Dallas Stars
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2018–present

Playing career

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Major junior

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Gleason was drafted in the second round, 36th overall, by the London Knights in the 2014 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft.[1] In August 2015, Gleason was one of 11 OHL players selected for the USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, a game compiled of the top U.S. NHL draft eligible players.[2] However, on October 7, 2015, Gleason was traded to the Hamilton Bulldogs in exchange for a second round pick in the 2017 OHL Selection and a conditional 15th round pick in 2019.[3] Despite his successful season, with 33 points in 66 games, Gleason was passed over in the 2016 NHL entry draft.[4]

As an overage player during the 2017–18 season, Gleason helped lead the Bulldogs to their first Leyden Trophy as the regular season champion of the East division in the OHL.[5]

 
Gleason with the Edmonton Oilers battling for position against Kailer Yamamoto of the Seattle Kraken in 2023.

Professional

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Undrafted in the NHL entry draft, Gleason signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars on September 13, 2018.[6] After attending the Stars' training camp, he was assigned to the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL).[7] Gleason was recalled to the NHL on November 10,[8] where he recorded his first NHL point on an assist of Denis Gurianov's first NHL goal that night as the Stars lost the game in overtime to the Nashville Predators.[9] On November 22, he was reassigned to the Texas Stars.[10]

As a free agent from the Stars after five seasons within the organization, Gleason was signed to a two-year, $1.55 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 2, 2023.[11] Gleason impressed Oilers staff during the 2023–24 preseason and was considered a dark horse to make the final roster.[12] In spite of this, Gleason was a late cut from their roster and was re-assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, prior to the start of the season.[13] He tallied two goals and seven assists for nine points through 14 games before being recalled to the NHL on December 7.[14]

During the 2024–25 season, on November 4, 2024, Gleason was traded by the Oilers to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Ronnie Attard.[15]

Personal life

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Gleason comes from an ice hockey playing family. He is the cousin of former NHL player Tim Gleason[16] and Central Michigan University player James Gleason. His other cousin, Jacob, played with the Metro Jets in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL).[17]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 London Knights OHL 41 0 5 5 16
2015–16 London Knights OHL 2 0 1 1 0
2015–16 Hamilton Bulldogs OHL 64 7 25 32 44
2016–17 Hamilton Bulldogs OHL 66 6 33 39 37 7 0 2 2 6
2017–18 Hamilton Bulldogs OHL 63 9 39 48 43 21 3 15 18 12
2018–19 Texas Stars AHL 72 5 32 37 34
2018–19 Dallas Stars NHL 4 0 1 1 0
2019–20 Texas Stars AHL 43 2 8 10 37
2020–21 Texas Stars AHL 37 4 13 17 20
2021–22 Texas Stars AHL 70 9 35 44 57 2 0 0 0 0
2022–23 Texas Stars AHL 68 9 24 33 40 8 1 4 5 2
2023–24 Bakersfield Condors AHL 62 10 22 32 32 2 0 0 0 6
2024–25 Bakersfield Condors AHL 7 1 3 4 9
NHL totals 4 0 1 1 0

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2015 United States IH18 5th 4 0 1 1 6
Junior totals 4 0 1 1 6

References

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  1. ^ "Ben Gleason and Drake Rymsha commit to London Knights". ontariohockeyleague.ca. June 11, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  2. ^ "11 OHL players named to USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game". ontariohockeyleague.com. August 26, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  3. ^ "BULLDOGS ACQUIRE GLEASON FROM KNIGHTS". hamiltonbulldogs.com. October 7, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  4. ^ David, Jeremy (September 15, 2016). "Talent Left Behind at the 2016 Draft". oilersnation.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "Bulldogs crowned East Division champions". ontariohockeyleague.ca. March 3, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  6. ^ "Stars sign defenseman Ben Gleason to three-year, entry-level contract". NHL.com. September 13, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  7. ^ "DALLAS STARS REDUCE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER, ASSIGN PLAYERS TO TEXAS". texasstars.com. September 23, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  8. ^ "Stars recall defenseman Ben Gleason from Texas". NHL.com. November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  9. ^ Miller, Jeff (November 10, 2018). "Predators top Stars to stay undefeated on road". NHL.com. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  10. ^ "DALLAS STARS RECALL DEFENSEMAN TAYLOR FEDUN, REASSIGN DEFENSEMAN BEN GLEASON TO TEXAS". texasstars.com. November 22, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  11. ^ "Oilers sign Ben Gleason to two-year contract". Edmonton Oilers. July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  12. ^ Staples, David (October 6, 2023). "Dark horse d-man making huge impression on Edmonton Oilers blueline". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  13. ^ Kerney, Chris (October 8, 2023). "Oilers Put Wrong Players on Waivers". The Hockey News. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  14. ^ McCurdy, Bruce (December 7, 2023). "Broberg sent out, Gleason called up, Holland weighs in". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  15. ^ "Oilers acquire D Attard from Flyers in exchange for Gleason". tsn.com. November 4, 2024.
  16. ^ Mountain, Jamie (November 16, 2015). "Hamilton Bulldogs battling through early adversity". torontoobserver.ca. Retrieved November 11, 2018. said Gleason, who is the cousin of Washington Capitals defenceman Tim Gleason
  17. ^ Mackinder, Matt (January 24, 2015). "Metro Jets' veteran Jacob Gleason has 'very few deficiencies'". The Oakland Press. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
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