Gladiators Acquire Rights to Ben Danford

The Atlanta Gladiators announced Thursday that they have acquired the rights to defenseman Ben Danford from the Orlando Solar Bears. The acquisition of Danford's rights completes the March 7th trade that sent forward Justin Buzzeo to the Solar Bears in exchange for forward Alex Gacek and a future consideration. The 6-foot, 185-pound Minnesota native skated in 51 games with Orlando last season, notching 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 total points, and earned a +21 plus/minus rating. During a four year collegiate career at Canisius College, Danford amassed 84 points in 158 games played."Ben is a mobile defenseman who can contribute offensive numbers," said Head Coach Andy Brandt. "What stood out for us over the course of last season, however, was his ability to defend against our top lines.

"We're looking forward to getting him in a Gladiators uniform, and when I spoke with him earlier this week, he conveyed that he's excited for the opportunity to play for our organization."The Atlanta Gladiators 15th anniversary season kicks off at the Infinite Energy Arena on Friday, October 20th against the Florida Everblades at 7:35 PM. For ticket package information, visit the official team website at www.atlantagladiators.com or call the main office line at 770-497-5100.The Gladiators are members of the ECHL, the nation’s premier "AA" hockey league. All home games are played at the 11,355-seat Infinite Energy Arena, located just off I-85 on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth – where parking is always free. The Gladiators have established an unrivaled commitment to excellence, maintaining a distinctive reputation for affordable and family-friendly sports entertainment and consistently ranked as one of the top “Things To Do” in the Atlanta area and across the North Georgia region.For all the latest team news, contests, and more visit AtlantaGladiators.com, or “like” the Gladiators on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AtlantaGladiators), follow the team on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ATLGladiators), Instagram (www.instagram.com/atlgladiators) or Snapchat (www.snapchat.com) at "gladshockey". -###-Photo: Gary Bassing