Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, David Ling was chosen 179th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, after averaging nearly a point per game as an OHL rookie with the Kingston Frontenacs. Ling returned to junior and led the league with 254 penalty minutes in 1993-94 then notched an OHL best 61 goals the next season. After being named the OHL MVP and the CHL Player-of-the-Year in 1995, Ling had his rights traded to the Calgary Flames later that summer but never played a regular season game for them.
During his first pro season, Ling scored 24 goals for the AHL's Saint John Flames and continued to supply grit up front. In October, 1996 he was sent to the Montreal Canadiens and made it into two games for the Habs. Most of his time was spent in the AHL where he was a feisty 20-goal scorer for the Fredericton Canadiens. Ling continued to toil in the minors and notched consecutive 30-goal seasons for the Kansas City Blades of the IHL in 1999 and 2000. He spent the 2000-01 season with the IHL's Utah Grizzlies before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets organization in 2001-02.
Upon his arrival in Columbus, Ling split three seasons with the Blue Jackets and their AHL affiliate in Syracuse. After his 2003-04 season had ended, he signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs in July, 2004 and spent the entire season with the club's AHL affiliate in St. John's. Ling recorded a career high 88 points in St. John's that year and went on to compete with a pair of Russian clubs from 2005-2007. He returned to North America in 2007 after the Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed the Halifax, Nova Scotia native in the summer.
