The Oilers have signed defenceman Ben Gleason to a two-year, two-way contract

The Edmonton Oilers added some depth to their blueline on the first day of free agency.

According to PuckPedia, the team has come to terms on a two-year contract with left-handed defenceman Ben Gleason. It’s a two-way contract in the first season with a $775k salary in the NHL and a $425k salary in the AHL and the second season is just a one-way salary of $775k.

Gleason got passed over in the NHL draft but landed a deal with the Dallas Stars as an undrafted free agent following a huge final season in the OHL. He led the Hamilton Bulldogs to the OHL Championship with 18 points over 21 playoff games and inked a three-year with the Stars in the off-season.

Gleason scored 37 points over 72 games for the Texas Stars of the AHL in his first season as a professional in 2018-19 and recorded one assist over a four-game cup of coffee with the NHL club. After his entry-level deal expired, Gleason re-upped with the Stars on two different one-year, two-way contracts. He scored 44 points over 70 games in the AHL in 2021-22 and 33 points over 68 games in 2022-23.

As a player over the age of 25 with three professional seasons played and fewer than 80 games at the NHL level, Gleason became a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer. He produced strong results for Dallas’ AHL team but didn’t get another look in the NHL after his debut, so it makes sense that Gleason would seek an opportunity elsewhere.

The addition of Gleason gives Edmonton more depth on their blueline. They seem poised to go into the 2023-24 season with Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak, Cody Ceci, Evan Bouchard, Vincent Desharnais, and Philip Broberg as their NHL defenders, and Gleason joins a group along with Cam Dineen, Markus Niemelainen, and Phil Kemp as depth options on the Bakersfield Condors.