Ben Stafford is a retired American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional ice hockey player. Over four seasons, Stafford played 259 regular season games and 35 playoff games in the American Hockey League

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

 before retiring from hockey to join the US Marine Corps.

Prior to turning professional, Stafford attended Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

 where he played four seasons of NCAA Division I college hockey with the Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey team.

Awards and honours

Award	Year
ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...  All-Rookie Team	2001–02 2001–02 ECHL season The 2001-02 ECHL season was the 14th season of the East Coast Hockey League. Before the start of the season, the league saw one expansion franchise and five relocations, three of which were through the buying of the franchise rights of former clubs that had ceased operations...
ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...  Sportmanship Award	2001–02 2001–02 ECHL season The 2001-02 ECHL season was the 14th season of the East Coast Hockey League. Before the start of the season, the league saw one expansion franchise and five relocations, three of which were through the buying of the franchise rights of former clubs that had ceased operations...
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...  Man of the Year	2004–05 2004–05 AHL season The 2004–05 AHL season was the 69th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season...

External links