Ben Gleason

Benjamin Gleason (born March 25, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Major junior Gleason was drafted in the second round, 36th overall, by the London Knights in the 2014 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft. 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. 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. Despite his successful season, with 33 points in 66 games, Gleason was passed over in the 2016 NHL entry draft.

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

Professional Undrafted in the NHL entry draft, Gleason signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars on September 13, 2018. After attending the Stars' training camp, he was assigned to the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL). Gleason was recalled to the NHL on November 10, 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. On November 22, he was reassigned to the Texas Stars.

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. Gleason impressed Oilers staff during the 2023–24 preseason and was considered a dark horse to make the final roster. 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. He tallied two goals and seven assists for nine points through 14 games before being recalled to the NHL on December 7.

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

He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild for the season on July 2, 2025.

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

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs 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 — — — — — 2024–25 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 29 2 12 14 7 — — — — — 2025–26 Iowa Wild AHL 59 2 20 22 23 — — — — — NHL totals 4 0 1 1 0 — — — — —

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