In the transition from the Stockton Heat to the Calgary Wranglers, there were some changes. Everything from location to logo to lineups were affected. In the lineup category, Ben Jones was a lineup change that the current squad has got to be thanking their lucky stars for.
Jones’ first year with the Flames organization was a highly impressive season that didn’t always make the list of topics around the Wranglers. It’s about time we talk some more about the individual play of Ben Jones.
Ben Jones came to the Calgary Wranglers from the Vegas Golden Knights organization in the summer of 2022. He played most of his two previous seasons for the Henderson Silver Knights and did make it into two NHL games last season. This season for the Wranglers he had a career year and played in almost every game with the team skating in 71 of the 72 total games.
In that time, he went from a regular third liner and climbed his way all the way up the lineup to finish the season on a line alongside Jakob Pelletier and Matthew Phillips. Not that he was in bad company before. He would typically centre a line of Wranglers captain, Brett Sutter and Walker Duehr. (We all know how Walker Duehr panned out for the organization this season.) So, if those three are your third line, it’s safe to say you’ve got a pretty good roster to work with.
Since his promotion up the lineup, Jones’ playing time has increased along with his production. When Jakob Pelletier got called up to the Flames, Jones climbed up the team scoring stats and ended the year third in overall scoring for the Wranglers. He had a total of 54 points total with 17 goals and 37 assists.
The Wranglers needed a center to step up when Radim Zohorna was traded at the AHL deadline. They got a few games out of Dryden Hunt on the top line but Ben Jones has been the natural fit for this season’s biggest games down the stretch. He has a smoothness about his game that makes him very agile and he meshes very well with his linemates regardless of the other guys skating alongside him.
Jones without a doubt, helped the Wranglers make it to the top of the Pacific Division and to the top of the league. While his contributions mostly set up the big goals, he still had a part in dozens of key moments in the season. In the post-season, he will be a player for the team to lean on and one that will be hungry for his chance at the cup. He’s played in a total of seven AHL playoff games and he will need to at least double that number if the Wranglers are to go as far in the playoffs as they are anticipated to go.
While many people will be anxiously tuning into the Calgary Wranglers’ 2022-23 postseason run to watch Matthew Phillips, Walker Duehr, Dustin Wolf, Jakob Pelletier, and Connor Zary among the other popular names, there’s another player worth keeping a keen eye on. You can catch him on the top line with the number 18 on the back of his jersey.
