The 25-year-old forward spent the past season with two clubs as he started his campaign off in Norway with Lillehammer and there he was teammates with fellow new Stars recruit, Jackson Desouza, who arrives in Tayside to bolster the back end.
Appearing in 39 Norwegian topflight games, Almquist scored 10 goals and assisted 25 times before transferring to Cardiff Devils in February, where he would go on to feature 13 times for Pete Russell’s side, contributing four points.
Born in Victoria, Minnesota, the American has also played five years of NCAA hockey as he began his collegiate career within his home state at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and after three seasons with the Bulldogs, he switched to play his final two years with the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves.
Between 2019 and 2024, Almquist played in over 100 NCAA matches, accumulating 57 points (23G, 34A) and he also won a NCHC Conference title in his final year with the Bulldogs.
Ben, who stands at 6-foot tall, also played a few seasons in the United States Hockey League and North American Hockey League after rising through the Minnesota High School League with Holy Family Catholic School – a team he would captain in his senior year and he finished his high school career with 157 points from 114 appearances across five seasons.
LEFEBVRE ON ALMQUIST
After securing Almquist’s signature for the upcoming season, Stars Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coach, Marc LeFebvre, said: “Ben is a dynamic offensive player that will bring a high skill level to our lineup.
“He will get an opportunity with us to showcase his skills and be an offensive leader for us but he also plays a strong two-way game as well, which will translate into how we want to play and I look forward to working with him this year.”
ALMQUIST ON BECOMING A STAR
Once the deal to become a Star was finalised, Ben said: “I am super stoked, it has been a long off season but I think I have landed where I am supposed to be and I am excited to get this year started.
“My teammate last year when I played in Norway was actually Jackson Desouza, who signed earlier this summer and he told me Marc was looking to sign another forward and Marc gave me a call and told me what Dundee was about, the city and the opportunity that it would bring for me.
“So, it just seemed like a great fit to be able to play with a guy like Jackson again and to play for a good team like Dundee.”
In his 12-year-career so far, Ben has featured in 386 matches, recorded 148 goals, 204 assists and collected 96 penalty minutes, while also playing in 17 playoff games, where he tallied 17 points (9G, 8A) and 10 penalty minutes.
Ben is our 16th signing of the summer and joins Drydn Dow, Jonathan McBean, Jarrett Fiske, Jackson Desouza, Craig Moore, Craig Garrigan, Keanu Yamamoto, Dominick Jaglar, Kris Inglis, Griffin Luce, Morten Jürgens, Nick Isaacson, Matt Berry, Spencer Naas and Justin Bean on next season’s roster.
To see Ben’s career stats on Elite Prospects click HERE
