Benjamin Jeffrey Maxwell (born March 30, 1988) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

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 ...

centre 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 playing with Linköping HC of the

Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (officially SHL; sv, Svenska Hockeyligan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the highest division in the Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, an ...

(SHL).

Playing career

As a youth, Maxwell played in the 2001 and 2002

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

s with a

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...

team from North Vancouver. Maxwell was selected 49th overall in the second round of the

2006 NHL Entry Draft The 2006 NHL Entry Draft was the 44th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 24, 2006. The draft order for the first 14 picks was decided during a lottery held on April 20, 2006. The draft was ...

by the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

. While playing with the Kootenay Ice of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

, Maxwell signed a three-year entry level contract with the Canadiens on March 1, 2008. Maxwell was called up on December 12, 2008, from 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)'s Hamilton Bulldogs to replace the injured

Saku Koivu Saku Antero Koivu (; born November 23, 1974) is a Finns, Finnish former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1995–96 NHL season, 1995–96 after th ...

in the lineup. Maxwell made his NHL debut on December 13, 2008, against the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

. On February 24, Maxwell was traded along with a 4th round pick in the

2011 NHL Entry Draft The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hoste ...

, to the Atlanta Thrashers for Brent Sopel and

Nigel Dawes Nigel Alexander Dawes (born February 9, 1985) is a Canadian- Kazakhstani professional ice-hockey winger for Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Phoenix ...

. He scored his first NHL goal on March 27, 2011 against Craig Anderson of the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

. 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 The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

. On November 10, 2011, Maxwell was claimed off waivers by the Anaheim Ducks. When the Ducks placed Maxwell on waivers on December 6, he was re-claimed by the Jets. On July 6, 2012, Maxwell re-signed to a one-year contract extension with the Jets. In the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season, Maxwell was assigned directly to AHL affiliate, the

St. John's IceCaps The St. John's IceCaps were a professional ice hockey team based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. They were members of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was originally aff ...

. 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. On May 29, 2014, Maxwell moved to the Kontinental Hockey League's

HC Yugra Hockey Club Yugra (russian: Хоккейный клуб Югра), is a professional ice hockey team based in Khanty-Mansiysk, Yugra, Russia. They currently play in the Supreme Hockey League, the second-highest league in Russia, and played in the ...

based in Khanty-Mansiysk on a one-year deal. On February 12, 2015 Maxwell returned to Finland when signed a deal with

Oulun Kärpät Oulun Kärpät (Finnish for "Oulu Ermines", sometimes referred to as Kärpät Oulu) is a Finnish professional ice hockey team based in Oulu and playing in the top-tier Finnish Liiga. Kärpät have won the Finnish championship title eight times ...

. He moved back to KHL with

HC Sochi Hockey Club Sochi (russian: Хоккейный клуб Сочи) is a professional ice hockey team based in Sochi, Russia. The team joined the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2014–15 season. History On May 23, 2014, it was reported that ...

for the following two seasons, prior signing a contract with HC Spartak Moscow for 2017–18. 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 NL, on July 12, 2019.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Ben 1988 births Anaheim Ducks players Atlanta Thrashers players Canadian ice hockey centres Chicago Wolves players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Kootenay Ice players Linköping HC players Living people Montreal Canadiens draft picks Montreal Canadiens players Oulun Kärpät players People from North Vancouver St. John's IceCaps players SCL Tigers players HC Sochi players HC Spartak Moscow players Surrey Eagles players HC Yugra players Winnipeg Jets players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Finland Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Russia