Benjamin Jeffrey Maxwell (born March 30, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is an unrestricted free agent. He was selected in the second round, 49th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Maxwell has also previously played for the Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers, and Winnipeg Jets.

Ben Maxwell
Maxwell with the Winnipeg Jets in November 2011
Born (1988-03-30) March 30, 1988 (age 36)
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 177 lb (80 kg; 12 st 9 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
Current team
Former teams
Free agent
Montreal Canadiens
Atlanta Thrashers
Winnipeg Jets
Anaheim Ducks
Oulun Kärpät
HC Yugra
HC Sochi
Spartak Moscow
SCL Tigers
Linköping HC
NHL draft 49th overall, 2006
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2008–present

Playing career

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As a youth, Maxwell played in the 2001 and 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from North Vancouver.[1]

Maxwell was selected 49th overall in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. While playing with the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League, Maxwell signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens on March 1, 2008.[2]

Maxwell was called up on December 12, 2008, from the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Hamilton Bulldogs to replace the injured Saku Koivu in the lineup. Maxwell made his NHL debut on December 13, 2008, against the Washington Capitals.[3]

On February 24, Maxwell was traded along with a 4th round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, to the Atlanta Thrashers for Brent Sopel and Nigel Dawes.[4] He scored his first NHL goal on March 27, 2011, against Craig Anderson of the Ottawa Senators. He was also named first star of that game. On July 18, 2011, Maxwell signed a one-year $715,000 contract with the Winnipeg Jets. On November 10, 2011, Maxwell was claimed off waivers by the Anaheim Ducks.[5] When the Ducks placed Maxwell on waivers on December 6, he was re-claimed by the Jets.[citation needed]

On July 6, 2012, Maxwell re-signed to a one-year contract extension with the Jets.[6] In the 2012–13 season, Maxwell was assigned directly to AHL affiliate, the St. John's IceCaps.[7] He remained there for the duration of the year, scoring 11 goals and 40 points in 74 games. On August 11, 2013, Maxwell with the intention to regain NHL interest, Maxwell signed a one-year contract abroad in the Finnish SM-liiga with Kärpät Oulu where he won the Finnish championship in April, 2014.[8]

On May 29, 2014, Maxwell moved to the Kontinental Hockey League's HC Yugra based in Khanty-Mansiysk on a one-year deal.[9] On February 12, 2015, Maxwell returned to Finland when signed a deal with Oulun Kärpät. He moved back to KHL with HC Sochi for the following two seasons, prior signing a contract with HC Spartak Moscow for 2017–18.[citation needed]

After five seasons in the KHL, Maxwell left Russia to sign a one-year contract as a free agent with Swiss club, SCL Tigers of the National League (NL), on July 12, 2019.[10]

Maxwell then spent two years with Swedish club, Linköping HC of the SHL, before leaving at the conclusion of his contract following the 2022–23 season on March 14, 2023.[11]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003–04 North Delta Flyers PIJHL 40 17 28 45 46 5 3 6 9 0
2003–04 Surrey Eagles BCHL 2 0 0 0 0
2003–04 Kootenay Ice WHL 3 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0
2004–05 Kootenay Ice WHL 68 8 10 18 37 16 0 1 1 6
2005–06 Kootenay Ice WHL 69 28 32 60 52 6 3 5 8 0
2006–07 Kootenay Ice WHL 39 19 34 53 42 7 1 4 5 21
2007–08 Kootenay Ice WHL 31 9 18 27 26 10 6 3 9 14
2008–09 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 73 22 36 58 58 6 3 1 4 4
2008–09 Montreal Canadiens NHL 7 0 0 0 2
2009–10 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 57 16 28 44 22 1 0 0 0 0
2009–10 Montreal Canadiens NHL 13 0 0 0 6 1 0 0 0 0
2010–11 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 47 11 29 40 32
2010–11 Chicago Wolves AHL 2 0 1 1 0
2010–11 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 12 1 1 2 9
2011–12 Winnipeg Jets NHL 9 1 4 5 0
2011–12 Anaheim Ducks NHL 6 0 1 1 2
2011–12 St. John's IceCaps AHL 43 8 17 25 35 15 3 4 7 4
2012–13 St. John's IceCaps AHL 74 11 29 40 52
2013–14 Kärpät Liiga 49 16 26 42 56 16 3 4 7 6
2014–15 HC Yugra KHL 46 14 13 27 48
2014–15 Kärpät Liiga 12 3 3 6 8 19 7 5 12 8
2015–16 HC Sochi KHL 52 14 18 32 57 3 0 0 0 4
2016–17 HC Sochi KHL 48 8 7 15 34
2017–18 Spartak Moscow KHL 39 12 16 28 16 4 0 0 0 2
2018–19 Spartak Moscow KHL 59 11 12 23 20
2019–20 SCL Tigers NL 48 16 17 33 34
2020–21 SCL Tigers NL 50 10 17 27 14
2021–22 Linköping HC SHL 38 6 6 12 8
2022–23 Linköping HC SHL 43 0 7 7 20
AHL totals 296 68 140 208 199 22 6 5 11 8
NHL totals 47 2 6 8 19 1 0 0 0 0
KHL totals 244 59 66 125 175 7 0 0 0 6

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2005 Canada Pacific U17   6 2 7 9 4
2005 Canada U18   5 0 4 4 6
2006 Canada WJC18 4th 7 2 5 7 10
Junior totals 18 4 16 20 20

References

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "Canadiens ink Ben Maxwell". NHL.com. March 1, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  3. ^ "Nylander's effort with 3:32 left makes Caps' Varlamov a winner in debut". ESPN.com. December 14, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2019.[dead link]
  4. ^ "Habs Acquire Sopel, Dawes from Thrashers for Maxwell, Pick". TSN. February 24, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  5. ^ "Ducks claim Maxwell off waivers from Jets". The Sports Network. November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  6. ^ "Jets agree to terms with Ben Maxwell & Mark Dekanich". NHL.com. July 6, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  7. ^ Doyle, Chris (October 15, 2012). "IceCaps 2012-2013 Season Preview". NHL.com. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  8. ^ "Maxwell completes Karpat puzzle" (in Finnish). Oulun Kärpät. August 11, 2013. Archived from the original on September 13, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  9. ^ "Transfer News for May 29, 29" (in Russian). Oulun Kärpät. May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  10. ^ "SCL Tigers sign Ben Maxwell" (in German). SCL Tigers. July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  11. ^ "Ben Maxwell och LHC går skilda vägar" [Ben Maxwell and LHC go their separate ways] (in Swedish). Linköping HC. March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
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