Ben Street (ice hockey)

Ben Street
Born February 13, 1987
Coquitlam, BC, CAN
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams 		Colorado Avalanche
Calgary Flames
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2010–present

Ben Street (born February 13, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a member within the Colorado Avalanche organization of the National Hockey League. An undrafted player, Street played five seasons of college hockey with the Wisconsin Badgers before turning professional in 2010. He joined the Calgary Flames organization in 2012, before signing with the Colorado Avalanche in 2014.

Playing career

Street played his junior hockey with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League, near his hometown of Coquitlam, British Columbia. After two seasons there, he joined the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey program in 2005.[1] He played 171 games for the Badgers between 2005 and 2010, scoring 47 goals and recording 94 points.[2] Street was a member of the Badgers' 2006 national championship team,[3] and shared the team's captaincy in his junior and senior seasons.[4] He was named to numerous academic All-Conference teams. Street was named the recipient of Wisconsin's Ivan B. Williamson Scholastic Award in 2009–10,[5] and to both the Academic All-Big Ten and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) All-Academic teams for four consecutive years between 2007 and 2010.[6]

Street as a member of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs

The five-foot-eleven, 185 pound Street went unselected in an NHL Entry Draft, but his work ethic with the Badgers helped him earn a professional contract in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization in 2010.[7] He was assigned to the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL to begin the 2010–11 season where he posted 24 goals and 51 points in just 38 games.[2] His performance earned him a promotion to the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins mid-season after injuries in Pittsburgh led to roster openings for the AHL squad.[7] Street finished the season in the AHL, scoring 23 points in 36 games and appearing in the Calder Cup playoffs with the team.[2] Despite playing only half of the ECHL season, Street was voted that league's Rookie of the Year.[1] He returned to the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton Penguins in 2011–12 on an AHL contract,[7] where he had 57 points in 71 games.[2]

Street's chances of reaching the NHL with the Penguins were limited, as Pittsburgh already had several top centres, so he chose to leave the organization as a free agent. He chose to sign with the Calgary Flames, a team with less depth at the position.[8] The contract was his first NHL deal, a two-year, two-way contract that would pay him $575,000 if he played in the NHL, and $105,000 in the AHL.[9] Street began the season in the AHL with the Abbotsford Heat, but sought to impress the Flames' coaching staff during the NHL's mini-training camp following the 2012–13 NHL lockout.[8] Street was leading the Heat in scoring with 31 points in 44 games when an injury to Mikael Backlund led to his recall to the Calgary Flames on February 8, 2013.[10] He made his NHL debut the following night in a 5–1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.[11]

On November 1, 2012, Street and Abbotsford Heat teammate, Steve McCarthy set an AHL record for the fastest two successive goals scored. McCarthy beat Toronto Marlies goaltender, Ben Scrivens on a short handed opportunity four minutes and twenty eight seconds into the third period. Street shot the puck immediately off the following face off, scoring another short handed goal. The two goals were officially recorded three seconds apart.[12]

On July 1, 2014, Street left the Flames and signed as a free agent to a two-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche.[13] In his first season with Colorado, Street suffered an injury in the Avalanche's pre-season which delayed his start to the 2014–15 season. After returning to health he was assigned to begin with AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. Having appeared in just 4 games with the Monsters, he was recalled by the Avalanche on November 21, 2014.[14]

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003–04 Salmon Arm Silverbacks BCHL 54 13 21 34 14 13 1 9 10 0
2004–05 Salmon Arm Silverbacks BCHL 56 29 39 68 21 11 7 8 15 0
2005–06 Wisconsin Badgers WCHA 43 10 5 15 0 — — — — —
2006–07 Wisconsin Badgers WCHA 41 10 7 17 16 — — — — —
2007–08 Wisconsin Badgers WCHA 40 13 17 30 38 — — — — —
2008–09 Wisconsin Badgers WCHA 4 1 0 1 8 — — — — —
2009–10 Wisconsin Badgers WCHA 43 14 16 30 30 — — — — —
2010–11 Wheeling Nailers ECHL 38 24 27 51 10 — — — — —
2010–11 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 36 12 11 23 8 9 8 0 1 1
2011–12 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 71 27 30 57 24 12 1 2 3 2
2012–13 Abbotsford Heat AHL 69 15 22 37 22 — — — — —
2012–13 Calgary Flames NHL 6 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2013–14 Calgary Flames NHL 13 0 1 1 4 — — — — —
2013–14 Abbotsford Heat AHL 58 28 32 60 24 4 0 1 1 2
2014–15 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 44 9 30 39 10 — — — — —
2014–15 Colorado Avalanche NHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
NHL totals 22 0 2 2 4 — — — — —

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Olsen, Dan (2013-01-11). "Street sets sights on NHL onramp". Coquitlam Now. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Ben Street player profile". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  3. ↑ 2012–13 Wisconsin Men's Ice Hockey Fact Book. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2012. p. 69.
  4. ↑ 2012–13 Wisconsin Men's Ice Hockey Fact Book. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2012. p. 96.
  5. ↑ 2012–13 Wisconsin Men's Ice Hockey Fact Book. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2012. p. 146.
  6. ↑ 2012–13 Wisconsin Men's Ice Hockey Fact Book. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2012. p. 148.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Crechiolo, Michelle (2011-09-12). "Street the perfect mix of talent and character". Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Club. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cruickshank, Scott (2013-01-14). "Street speeding up the charts, but will he crack the Flames?". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  9. ↑ "Flames sign Ben Street". Calgary Flames Hockey Club. 2012-07-02. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  10. ↑ "Calgary Flames recall centre Ben Street from American Hockey League". Hamilton Spectator. 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  11. ↑ Gilbertson, Wes (2013-02-10). "Flames snapshots". Calgary Sun. p. S2.
  12. ↑ "Heat Features". Abbotsford Heat. 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  13. ↑ "Avalanche signs four players". Colorado Avalanche. 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  14. ↑ "No line changes for Avs 'New Guys'". Colorado Avalanche. 2014-11-22. Retrieved 2014-11-22.

External links