Duluth, GA - The Atlanta Gladiators, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators and the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals, announced on Thursday via the team’s YouTube channel that the team has signed defenseman Mason Ward for the 2026-27 season.
Mason Ward, 24, signs with the Gladiators for his first season of professional hockey following three seasons at the University of Alberta. The 6’6”, 235-pound defenseman notched 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 14 games with the Golden Bears last season and concluded his collegiate career with 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 69 games.
Prior to his time at the University of Alberta, Ward played four seasons of junior hockey in the Western Hockey League with the Red Deer Rebels, Brandon Wheat Kings, and Swift Current Broncos; scoring 13 goals and 31 assists for 44 points in 183 career games.
“Mason is a big defenseman, with good feet and skill for his size. He plays a physical game and is hard to play against,” said Gladiators’ Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations, Matt Ginn. “We wanted to solidify our backend, and Mason fits the mold for how we want to play. We took pride last season in being hard to play against and Mason fits that to a tee. We’re excited to add him to our group,” he said.
Mason Ward joins Max Neill, Connor Caponi, Kyle Pow, Anthony Cipollone, Joey Cipollone, Jack Blake, Stephen Calisti, Ryan Nolan, Kirklan Irey, Sam Tremblay, Mickey Burns, Ethan Strang, Corson Hopwo, Andrew Jarvis, Josh Winquist, Mike McNamee, Branden Troock, and Ryan Conroy as players who have signed with the Gladiators for the 2026-27 season.
The Gladiators are announcing player signings LIVE on the Atlanta Gladiators YouTube channel! Subscribe for exclusive content and stay up to date with the latest signings as the 2026-27 roster takes shape with live announcements on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 6:00 PM Eastern.
The Gladiators home opener is set for October 17th at Gas South Arena at 7:10 PM! Single game tickets are available HERE, or secure your seats with a season ticket package by calling our sales hotline at 770-497-5100!
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