| Ben Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 7, 1994 Calumet, Michigan |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) |
| Position | Forward |
| Shoots | Left |
| Played for | Albany Devils |
| NHL Draft | 90th overall, 2012 New Jersey Devils |
| Playing career | 2014–2016 |
Ben Johnson (born Benjamin Johnson on June 7, 1994) is an American former professional ice hockey player who is currently incarcerated, serving a three-year term in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
He was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 3rd round (90th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
Ben played professionally with the Albany Devils of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Adirondack Thunder and the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL.
Playing Career[]
Amateur[]
Ben attended Calumet High School in Calumet, Michigan where he played on the high school hockey team.
He was recognized for his outstanding play during the 2010-11 season when he was named Michigan's Mr. Hockey as the Top High School Player in Michigan, becoming only the second junior to win the award (Justin Abdelkader won the award as a junior in 2004).
In the 2011–12 season, Ben joined the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. Playing three seasons of major junior hockey with the Spitfires, he scored 66 goals and 62 assists for 128 points, while earning 106 penalty minutes in 191 games played.
Professional[]
On April 3, 2014, Ben signed an amateur tryout contract with the Albany Devils and played five games with the AHL team near the end of the 2013–14 season.
On May 20, 2014, the New Jersey Devils signed him to a three-year entry-level contract.
Career Statistics[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Calumet High | USHS | 30 | 37 | 40 | 77 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Fargo Force | USHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 68 | 18 | 20 | 38 | 44 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 64 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 59 | 28 | 25 | 53 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Albany Devils | AHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Albany Devils | AHL | 28 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Orlando Solar Bears | ECHL | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Albany Devils | AHL | 16 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Adirondack Thunder | ECHL | 13 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 20 | ||
| AHL totals | 49 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Accolades[]
- Michigan Mr. Hockey: Top High School Player in Michigan (2011)
Personal Life[]
Sexual Assault[]
In March of 2013, Ben was charged with two counts of sexual assault in connection with two separate incidents that allegedly took place in Windsor.
The first occurred against a 16-year-old girl in the washroom of Mynt nightclub during the Spitfires' end of season St. Patrick’s Day party. The girl alleged that Ben forced her to perform oral sex in a bathroom stall before he assaulted her.
During the course of the investigation, a 20-year-old woman came forward and told police that she had also been sexually assaulted by Ben in the washroom of a second bar weeks prior.
On September 1, 2016, Ben was found guilty of the charge related to events at the Mynt nightclub. Also on that same day, the Devils initiated the process to terminate his contract.
On October 25, 2016, Ben was sentenced to a three-year prison term for the sexual assault.