Ben Johnson (ice hockey)

Benjamin Johnson (born June 7, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey player who was incarcerated in 2016 and served a three-year term in Windsor, Ontario for the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl.[1] Johnson was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 3rd round (90th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.[2] Johnson is currently playing professionally for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

Ben Johnson
Born (1994-06-07) June 7, 1994
Calumet, Michigan, USA
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
ECHL team
Former teams		 Cincinnati Cyclones
Albany Devils
NHL Draft 90th overall, 2012
New Jersey Devils
Playing career 2014–present

Playing career

Amateur

Johnson 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).[3]

With the 2011–12 season, Johnson joined the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. Playing three seasons of major junior hockey with the Spitfires, Johnson scored 66 goals and 62 assists for 128 points, while earning 106 penalty minutes, in 191 games played.

Professional

On April 3, 2014, Johnson signed an amateur tryout contract with the Albany Devils,[4] and played five games with the AHL team near the end of the 2013–14 season. On May 20, 2014, the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League signed Johnson to a three-year entry-level contract.[5]

On December 7, 2018, having served his prison sentence, Johnson resumed his professional career during the 2018–19 season, signing a contract with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.[6]

Sexual assault

In March 2013, Johnson 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. Johnson forced her to perform oral sex in a bathroom stall while she was intoxicated before he raped her, causing vaginal bleeding.[7][8] During the course of the investigation, a second woman, aged 20, came forward and told police that she had also been sexually assaulted by Johnson in the washroom of a second bar weeks prior.[9] He was found guilty on September 1, 2016, of the charge related to events at the Mynt nightclub.[10] That same day, the Devils initiated the process to terminate Johnson's contract.[11] On October 25, 2016, he was sentenced to a 3-year prison term for the sexual assault.[1]

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
2018–19 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 44 10 18 28 29 11 3 1 4 6
2019–20 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 60 21 31 52 49 — — — — —
AHL totals 49 6 4 10 14 — — — — —

Awards and honors
Awards Year
Michigan Mr. Hockey - Top High School Player in Michigan 2011 [12]
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References
  1. "Former Spitfire Ben Johnson sentenced to 3-years in prison". CTV News. October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  2. "Statement regarding minor-league forward Ben Johnson". New Jersey Devils. September 1, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  3. "Ben Johnson commits to Windsor Spitfires". Ontario Hockey League. April 3, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  4. "Devils 2012 third round pick, Ben Johnson joins Albany on ATO". northjersey.com. April 3, 2014. Archived from the original on April 5, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  5. "A deal with the Devils". blackburnnews.com. May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  6. "Cyclones make trio of moves". Cincinnati Cyclones. December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  7. Devils prospect Ben Johnson found guilty of sexual assault | NJ.com
  8. Sacheli, Sarah (November 22, 2017). "Ex-Spitfire Ben Johnson loses appeal on sexual assault conviction | Windsor Star". Windsor Star. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  9. "Teen charged with sexual assault at nightclub". Windsor Star. March 18, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  10. "NHL prospect Ben Johnson found guilty of sexual assault". Toronto Sun. September 1, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  11. "Devils prospect Johnson found guilty of sexual assault". The Sports Network. September 1, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  12. "Michigan Mr Hockey archives". peschstats.com. March 4, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
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