Ben Holmstrom
Holmstrom with the Norfolk Admirals in 2019
Born (1987-04-09) April 9, 1987 (age 36)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
team
Former teams		 Free Agent
Philadelphia Flyers
Lillehammer IK
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2010–present

Benjamin Scott Holmstrom (born April 9, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey center who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played with the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League (AHL). He previously captained the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the American Hockey League (AHL). His brother Josh Holmstrom was a teammate with the Sound Tigers.

Playing career

Undrafted, Holmstrom signed a two-year entry level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on March 17, 2010 after playing four seasons of collegiate hockey with UMass Lowell.[1] Holmstrom was called up on March 3, 2011 and made his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[2]

On July 3, 2014, Holmstrom left the Flyers organization after four years to sign a free agent contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.[3] Holmstrom was assigned to AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers for the duration of the 2014–15 season, contributing with 20 points in 62 games, as the Checkers missed the post-season.

On July 2, 2015, Holmstrom signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders.[4] After two seasons under contract with the Islanders, Holmstrom opted to continue within the organization in signing for his third season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on an AHL deal on October 4, 2017.[5]

After leading the Sound Tigers for four seasons, Holmstrom left the club as a free agent at the conclusion of the 2018–19 season. On August 27, 2019, Holmstrom agreed to continue his career, signing a one-year contract with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL.[6] During the 2019–20 season after collecting 19 points in 42 games, Holmstrom was traded by the Admirals to the Cincinnati Cyclones.

As a free agent in the off-season, Holmstrom approaching his 12th professional season opted to sign abroad by agreeing to a one-year contract with Norwegian club, Lillehammer IK of the Eliteserien on June 16, 2020.[7] In his lone season in Norway in 2020–21, Holmstrom added a scoring presence to the Lillehammer forward group, adding 6 goals and 19 points in 23 regular season games.

Holmstrom opted to return to North America following the season, agreeing to continue his career in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays on August 13, 2021.[8] After 38 games with the Stingrays, Holmstrom was signed to a professional tryout contract in a return to the AHL with the Rochester Americans. On April 6, 2022, Holmstrom was given an 8 game suspension for using a homophobic slur against another player in a game against the Utica Comets on March 30.[9]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003–04 Sioux Falls Stampede USHL 54 3 5 8 53 — — — — —
2004–05 Sioux Falls Stampede USHL 15 1 0 1 10 — — — — —
2005–06 Sioux Falls Stampede USHL 56 10 9 19 115 14 3 3 6 22
2006–07 UMass Lowell River Hawks HE 30 4 9 13 18 — — — — —
2007–08 UMass Lowell River Hawks HE 37 7 20 27 62 — — — — —
2008–09 UMass Lowell River Hawks HE 38 6 15 21 52 — — — — —
2009–10 UMass Lowell River Hawks HE 39 9 14 23 69 — — — — —
2009–10 Adirondack Phantoms AHL 13 3 0 3 9 — — — — —
2010–11 Adirondack Phantoms AHL 79 16 22 38 75 — — — — —
2010–11 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 2 0 0 0 5 — — — — —
2011–12 Adirondack Phantoms AHL 67 15 26 41 134 — — — — —
2011–12 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 5 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2012–13 Adirondack Phantoms AHL 22 2 6 8 29 — — — — —
2013–14 Adirondack Phantoms AHL 75 13 19 32 146 — — — — —
2014–15 Charlotte Checkers AHL 62 5 15 20 92 — — — — —
2015–16 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 76 4 20 24 138 3 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 76 7 9 16 91 — — — — —
2017–18 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 76 11 10 21 101 — — — — —
2018–19 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 40 3 5 8 25 — — — — —
2019–20 Norfolk Admirals ECHL 42 9 10 19 61 — — — — —
2019–20 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 9 0 4 4 2 — — — — —
2020–21 Lillehammer IK NOR 23 6 13 19 24 — — — — —
2021–22 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 38 5 14 19 49 — — — — —
2021–22 Rochester Americans AHL 25 0 6 6 19 2 0 0 0 16
NHL totals 7 0 0 0 7 — — — — —

Awards and honors

Award Year
College
HE Best Defensive Forward 2009–10 [10]

References

  1. ^ "Flyers Sign Forward Holmstrom". Philadelphia Flyers. 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
  2. ^ Tim Panaccio (2011-03-03). "With Carter and Powe out, Flyers call up Holmstrom". CSNPhilly.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  3. ^ "Canes Agree to Terms with Ben Holmstrom". Carolina Hurricanes. July 4, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  4. ^ "Islanders sign six to two-way deals". New York Islanders. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
  5. ^ "Holmstrom returns for a third season in Bridgeport". Bridgeport Sound Tigers. 2017-10-04. Archived from the original on 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  6. ^ "Admirals sign 10 year veteran Ben Holmstrom". Norfolk Admirals. August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  7. ^ Lillehammer IK (June 16, 2020). "Lillehammer IK introduce Ben Holmstrom" (in Norwegian). Instagram. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  8. ^ "Holmstrom inks deal with Stingrays". ECHL. August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  9. ^ "Antigay Slurs Land AHL Player an 8-Game Suspension". advocate.com. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Player Bio - Ben Holmstrom". The Hockey News. Retrieved 2011-03-14.

External links

Awards and achievements Preceded byJoe Vitale Hockey East Best Defensive Forward 2009–10 Succeeded byTanner House


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