Ben Gallacher

History

2008-09: Ben Gallacher played with the Camrose Kodiaks in the AJHL. He scored 4 goals with 6 asssists and 58 PIM in 43 games. In nine playoff games he has 1 assist and 4 PIM.

2009-10: Gallacher was much more active in the attack in his second year with Camrose. He scored 3 goals with 19 assists and 61 PIM in 34 games and then added 1 goal and 1 assist with 43 PIM in 11 playoff games.

2010-11: Gallacher was one of the more combative defensemen in the Alberta Junior Hockey league in his third season with Camrose. Despite missing time in January and also drawing a pair of suspensions, he finished with 5 goals and 27 assists in 37 regular games with 119 PMs. After finishing third in the AJHL’s South Division, the Kodiaks advanced to the playoff finals against eventual AJHL champ Spruce Grove. Gallacher scored 3 goals with 5 assists while being assessed 52 PMs in 18 playoff games. Camrose hosted the 2011 RBC Cup and Gallacher scored a power play goal and had 1 assist with 8 PMs in five games in the tournament.

2011-12: Gallacher skated in 24 games as a freshman at Ohio State University in what would be his only season with the Buckeyes. He scored 1 goal with 11 assists and was minus-three with 30 penalty minutes. Ohio State finished ninth in the CCHA and were swept by Notre Dame in the conference tournament. Following the season Gallacher left school and will play for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in 2012-13.

2012-13: Gallacher skated in 42 games for Green Bay — receiving a pair of suspensions for questionable hits in his first season in the USHL. He scored 4 goals with 19 assists and was +2 with 72 penalty minutes. The defending USHL champions, the Gamblers finished second in the Eastern Conference and lost to Youngstown in a playoff series. Gallacher was an even plus/minus with no points and 4 penalty minutes in three playoff games. In October 2012 he committed to playing college hockey at Massachusetts-Amherst and he will skate for the Minutemen in 2013-14.

2013-14: Gallacher skated in all 34 games for Massachusetts-Amherst as a sophomore in his first season with the Minutemen. He scored 1 goal with 10 assists and was -21 with 30 penalty minutes. Massachusetts-Amherst finished 10th in Hockey East and reached the conference tournament despite finishing 4-13-3 in league play; losing to Vermont, 2-1, in the first round of the conference tournament. 

2014-15: Gallacher was second to freshman Brandon Montour (ANA) in scoring amongst Minutemen defensemen in his second season with UMass-Amherst. He scored 2 goals with 8 assists and was -13 with 42 penalty minutes. The Minutemen finished 11th in the 12-team Hockey East Conference; upsetting fifth seed Notre Dame, 4-3 in five overtimes in the first game of their playoff series before losing the next two games.

2015-16: Gallacher returned to UMass-Amherst for a senior season. Skating in 35 of 36 games for the Minutemen, he scored 1 goal with 9 assists and was -24 with 33 penalty minutes. UMass finished last in Hockey East and was swept by Boston University in an opening round playoff series.

Talent Analysis

Gallacher is a playmaking two-way defenseman against whom it is difficult to play. His game is based on solid, gritty positioning and board play, moving the puck and joining the rush when the opportunity arises. He plays with an edge to his game even though he is undersized, and is not afraid to use his body to dish out punishment against the opposition.

Future

Gallacher played for the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2015-16, playing top pairing minutes for the Minutemen in his final season of college hockey. Yet to sign an entry-level contract with Florida, he would become an unrestricted agent if not signed before this summer. His skating ability and technical skill suggest some offensive potential from the blueline but whether he has the composure and defensive tactical game to play in the NHL is uncertain.