Benjamin Scott Holmstrom (born April 9, 1987) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

who is currently an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He most recently played with the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL). He previously captained the

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...

in the

(AHL). His brother Josh Holmstrom was a teammate with the Sound Tigers.

Playing career

Undrafted, Holmstrom signed a two-year entry level contract with the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

on March 17, 2010 after playing four seasons of collegiate hockey with

UMass Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell and UML) is a public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost member of the University of Massachusetts public ...

. Holmstrom was called up on March 3, 2011 and made his NHL debut against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

. On July 3, 2014, Holmstrom left the Flyers organization after four years to sign a free agent contract with the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

. Holmstrom was assigned to AHL affiliate, the

Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affi ...

for the duration of the 2014–15 season, contributing with 20 points in 62 games, as the Checkers missed the post-season. On July 2, 2015, Holmstrom signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders. After two seasons under contract with the Islanders, Holmstrom opted to continue within the organization in signing for his third season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on an AHL deal on October 4, 2017. After leading the Sound Tigers for four seasons, Holmstrom left the club as a free agent at the conclusion of the 2018–19 season. On August 27, 2019, Holmstrom agreed to continue his career, signing a one-year contract with the

Norfolk Admirals Norfolk Admirals has been the name of two professional ice hockey franchises: *Norfolk Admirals (AHL), a team which played in the American Hockey League from 2000 to 2015 *Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) The Norfolk Admirals are a professional ice hocke ...

of the ECHL. During the 2019–20 season after collecting 19 points in 42 games, Holmstrom was traded by the Admirals to the

Cincinnati Cyclones The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Originally established in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at Heritage Bank Cen ...

. As a free agent in the off-season, Holmstrom approaching his 12th professional season opted to sign abroad by agreeing to a one-year contract with Norwegian club,

Lillehammer IK Lillehammer Ishockeyklubb is an ice hockey club based in Nestan, Norway and playing in the GET-ligaen. Home games are played in Eidsiva Arena (Kristins Hall), and occasionally in Håkons Hall. History Founded on 2 November 1957, Lillehammer IK ...

of the

Eliteserien Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...

on June 16, 2020. In his lone season in Norway in 2020–21, Holmstrom added a scoring presence to the Lillehammer forward group, adding 6 goals and 19 points in 23 regular season games. Holmstrom opted to return to North America following the season, agreeing to continue his career in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays on August 13, 2021. After 38 games with the Stingrays, Holmstrom was signed to a professional tryout contract in a return to the AHL with the

. On April 6, 2022, Holmstrom was given an 8 game suspension for using a homophobic slur against another player in a game against the

Utica Comets The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated wit ...

on March 30.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* 1987 births Living people Adirondack Phantoms players American men's ice hockey centers American people of Swedish descent Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) players Ice hockey players from Colorado Lillehammer IK players Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) players Philadelphia Flyers players Rochester Americans players Sioux Falls Stampede players South Carolina Stingrays players Sportspeople from Colorado Springs, Colorado UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey players Undrafted National Hockey League players {{US-icehockey-centre-stub