Ben Ondrus Explained

Played For:Toronto Maple Leafs
Krefeld Pinguine
Toronto Marlies
Oklahoma City Barons
Idaho Steelheads
Position:Right wing
Shoots:Right
Height Ft:5
Height In:11
Weight Lb:208
Birth Date:June 25, 1982
Birth Place:Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada
Career Start:2003
Career End:2013
Draft:Undrafted

Benjamin Matthew Ondrus (born June 25, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Ondrus was never drafted by a National Hockey League (NHL) team, however, he signed as a free agent and worked his way up through the Toronto Maple Leafs system, making his NHL debut in 2006. Ondrus played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League for the Swift Current Broncos. While playing in the American Hockey League for the Toronto Marlies, Ondrus served as team captain.

Playing career

Ondrus was the former captain of the Swift Current Broncos, where he was a junior teammate with fellow former Toronto Maple Leafs' prospects Ian White, Wilson McCutchan and Jeremy Williams. He was signed to an American Hockey League (AHL) contract after a fine performance at the Leafs' 2003 rookie camp and earned a contract with Toronto following an encouraging rookie AHL season with the St. John's Maple Leafs in 2003–04. Ondrus made his NHL debut on March 7, 2006, in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

During his time in Toronto, Ondrus served as the team captain of the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliates.

On July 9, 2010, he signed as a free agent to a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers.[1] Ondrus scored his first ever goal in an Oilers uniform on September 22, as the Oilers defeated Northwest division rivals, the Vancouver Canucks, in a pre-season warm-up at the recently renamed Rogers Arena, in Vancouver.[2]

After a year abroad in Germany with Krefeld Pinguine of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Ondrus returned to North America signing as a free agent to a one-year contract with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL on September 12, 2012.[3]

Career statistics

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1998–99Swift Current BroncosWHL464485860118
1999–2000Swift Current BroncosWHL671415291381210122
2000–01Swift Current BroncosWHL691317301511923546
2001–02Swift Current BroncosWHL673041711531243718
2002–03Swift Current BroncosWHL6733366998301111
2002–03Idaho SteelheadsWCHL4033050116
2003–04St. John's Maple LeafsAHL6061117102
2004–05St. John's Maple LeafsAHL787111813750117
2005–06Toronto MarliesAHL5312183010451234
2005–06Toronto Maple LeafsNHL2200018
2006–07Toronto MarliesAHL29831135
2006–07Toronto Maple LeafsNHL1602220
2007–08Toronto MarliesAHL59141226631915614
2007–08Toronto Maple LeafsNHL30005
2008–09Toronto MarliesAHL57107178360002
2008–09Toronto Maple LeafsNHL1100034
2009–10Toronto MarliesAHL56771441
2010–11Oklahoma City BaronsAHL80814227261120
2011–12Krefeld PinguineDEL47371064
2012–13Idaho SteelheadsECHL5571522621723522
NHL totals5202277

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Oilers sign Ben Ondrus. . 2010-07-09 . 2010-08-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20100723073857/http://oilers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=534117. 23 July 2010 . live.
  2. Web site: Oilers vs. Canucks. 2010-09-22. 2010-09-22. Edmonton Oilers. https://web.archive.org/web/20100925192907/http://oilers.nhl.com/club/recap.htm?id=2010010013. 25 September 2010. dead.
  3. Web site: Ben Ondrus signs with Idaho . . 2012-09-12 . 2012-09-12 . Darryl Wolski .