Ben Walter
Ben Walter | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 11, 1984 Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player (retired) |
| Years active | 2005–2018 |
| Known for | Playing as a center in the NHL and European leagues |
Ben James Walter (born May 11, 1984) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey center. His latest team was EC VSV in the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL), and he also competed in the NHL during his career. He is the son of former NHL player Ryan Walter.
Playing career
Walter launched his junior hockey journey with the Langley Hornets in the British Columbia Hockey League before advancing to collegiate hockey at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, competing in NCAA Hockey East. Known for his offensive prowess as a center, he ranked second in scoring during his sophomore year in 2003–04 and was selected 160th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. The subsequent season saw him share team scoring leadership with 39 points in 34 contests, top Hockey East with 26 goals, earn a spot on the Hockey East Second All-Star Team, and become a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Opting to forgo his senior collegiate season, Walter signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Bruins on August 31, 2005. Beginning with their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, he made his NHL debut on January 12, 2006. That season, he appeared in six NHL games and accumulated 40 points across 62 AHL matches. During the 2006–07 campaign, Walter played four NHL games but primarily contributed offensively with 67 points in 73 games for Providence, earning recognition as the team’s MVP.
On September 11, 2007, Walter was traded to the New York Islanders organization. He started with their AHL team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and made his Islanders NHL debut on November 3, 2007. He netted his first NHL goal on March 11, 2008. Although limited to eight NHL appearances over two seasons, Walter was a significant scoring presence for Bridgeport, finishing second in team scoring both years.
Walter was traded to the New Jersey Devils on June 30, 2009, and assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Lowell Devils. Leading Lowell in scoring after 45 games earned him a call-up to New Jersey for two NHL contests before concluding as Lowell’s leading scorer with 58 points in 78 games.
On July 7, 2010, Walter inked a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche. Playing for their AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters, he led the team with 70 points and played a key role in helping them reach their inaugural playoff appearance.
Walter agreed to a two-year contract with the Calgary Flames on July 2, 2011. He spent time with their AHL affiliate Abbotsford Heat where he consistently provided offensive leadership.
In May 2013, Walter transitioned to European hockey by signing a one-year contract with Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League. Struggling offensively with only two goals across 35 games led to a mid-season move to Jokerit in Finland’s Liiga.
Continuing his European tenure, Walter signed a one-year deal on August 5, 2014, with EC Red Bull Salzburg of Austria’s EBEL. Over two seasons there, he contributed significantly to Salzburg’s consecutive championship victories.
In August 2016, Walter joined Japan’s Asia League Ice Hockey by signing with Nippon Paper Cranes, where he recorded 12 goals and totaled 39 points during the season.
Walter returned to Austria on July 15, 2017, securing a one-year contract with EBEL club EC VSV.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–01 | Langley Hornets | BCHL | 50 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–02 | Langley Hornets | BCHL | 50 | 29 | 47 | 76 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–03 | University of Massachusetts Lowell | HE | 35 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–04 | University of Massachusetts Lowell | HE | 36 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–05 | University of Massachusetts Lowell | HE | 36 | 26 | 13 | 39 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 62 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | - | 2005–06 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 2006–07 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 73 | 24 | 43 | 67 | 58 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 8 | - | 2006–07 NHL season | Boston Bruins | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 2007–08 AHL season | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 68 | 20 | 46 | 66 | 31 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–08 NHL season | New York Islanders | NHL | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–09 AHL season | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 65 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | - | 2008–09 NHL season | New York Islanders | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 2009–10 AHL season | Lowell Devils | AHL | 78 | 22 | 36 | 58 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -
|- 2016–17 Asia League Ice Hockey season||Nippon Paper Cranes||Asia League Ice Hockey||48||12||27||39||40||2||1||2||3||2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" |
AHL totals !566 !159 !301 !460 !230 !41 !12 !18 !30 !18 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | NHL totals !24 !1 !0 !1 !6 !— !— !— !— !— |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | AUT totals !134 !22 !50 !72 !56 !29 !7 !13 !20 !6|}
Awards and honours
Transactions
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