The Belfast Giants will navigate the season’s final stretch with a fresh size advantage.
Ben Freeman inked a short-term contract with the Elite League leaders on Friday [6 February], joining with six seasons of professional experience and a standout collegiate career at the University of Connecticut.
The 6-foot-5 centreman arrives in Belfast from the Frederishavn White Hawks, for whom he scored 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) in 41 Danish Metal Ligaen games.
Before his stint on the continent, Freeman spent five seasons in the ECHL, with a brief, and title-winning, stint in the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Through 240 third-tier appearances, the American scored 109 points (39 goals, 70 assists) for the Wheeling Nailers and Greenville Swamp Rabbits, captaining the latter for two seasons.
Freeman also captained the University of Connecticut Huskies in his senior year, bowing out of the NCAA with 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) in 135 games.
Why have the Belfast Giants signed centreman Ben Freeman?
Ben Freeman, Belfast Giants (Image: Greenville Swamp Rabbits)
Marcus Eriksson’s surprise January departure left the Giants with a hole to fill up-front.
The Swede scored 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 31 regular-season appearances from Adam Keefe’s middle-six, playing a cerebral game in his age-40 season.
Freeman isn’t a like-for-like replacement.
He isn’t as finessed as Eriksson, but his size and ability to transition the puck through the neutral zone make him a shrewd addition for title-chasing Belfast.
“Ben is a 6’5″ two-way centre that transports the puck up the ice well for a big man,” explained Keefe.
“He has been captain at every level he’s played, a testament to his character and leadership. He comes highly recommended from prior coaches and is excited to get to Belfast and do whatever it takes to help his team win.”
And he arrives at a crucial point in the season for the Giants.
Belfast lead the title chase by four points with 19 games remaining and face the Coventry Blaze in the first leg of their Challenge Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Determined to retain their regular-season crown, the Giants will call upon Freeman in a middle-six role.
Capable of playing through the centre or on the wing, his net-front presence will shake-up Keefe’s secondary powerplay unit and add another layer of threat to an already deadly attack.
For Freeman, who knows what to expect in Belfast having played in the Friendship Four with the UConn Huskies, and the Giants, this deal has the makings of a slamdunk.
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