Ben Blood (D-L, 6’3, DOB 1989, 4-120/07)
2006-07 USHS Shattuck 63-11-25-36 144pim (ppg 0.57) 2nd d-pts
2007-08 USHL Des Moines/Indi 57-10-13-23 -8 100pim (ppg 0.40) 2nd
2008-09 NCAA N. Dakota 31-0-1-1 +3 12pim (ppg 0.03) 6th
2009-10 NCAA N. Dakota 43-5-9-14 +11 96pim (ppg 0.32) 3rd all-academic
2010-11 NCAA N. Dakota 44-2-10-12 +32 48pim (ppg 0.27) 4th
2011-12 NCAA N. Dakota 42-3-18-21 +5 73pim (ppg 0.50) 1st “A”
Ben Blood is the longest serving amateur in the organisation, hailing back to Bryan Murray’s first draft which was largely dominated by John Muckler’s philosophy (he was ranked #116 by Central Scouting). Blood is a big, strong, defensive blueliner who is finishing his senior year at North Dakota (perhaps best known for this incident with Chad Rau, which resulted in the loss of his assistant captaincy). He’s enjoyed a career year in points and I’m sure the Sens would like him to play in Binghamton now that his college season is over (they offered him an ELC last summer, but he rejected it to play his senior year in the NCAA). When he was drafted Blood was thought to be a well-rounded defenseman, but his offensive output in college has remained muted so he projects as a physical, depth player. Here’s a UND profile of Blood from earlier this season, and this is an old scouting report from Hockey Futures: “Blood has an intriguing combination of skill and size. He is fluid and sturdy on his skates, especially considering his size. Blood’s lateral movement and quickness is somewhat lacking, but this should improve with time. Blood plays well in all three zones and is excellent on special teams. His soft hands, poise with the puck, vision, and heavy, accurate slap shot make him an excellent power play quarterback. He also possesses a quick release and precise wrist shot. Blood has excellent hand eye coordination and has the ability to unleash a wicked one-timer when setup. In the defensive zone, Blood is a formidable presence and shuts down players by angling them to the boards. He is terrific positioning, especially in one-on-one situations and uses his size to effectively clear out traffic in front of the crease. He could play a more physically, but Blood’s game is focused on being disciplined and not hurting his team with an errant play or missed body check. Blood is also a good communicator both on and off the ice. He possesses good leadership qualities and could be a future team leader.” A final note, Blood‘s height is listed as either 6’3 or 6’4 (I’ve gone with the Sens website number).
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