University of Waterloo Athletics

Ben Fanelli enters his fourth season as Associate Coach of the Warriors men’s hockey program.  Fanelli has been making local headlines since he joined the Kitchener Rangers as a 16-year-old in 2009. After suffering a catastrophic head injury in just his seventh OHL game, he missed nearly two full seasons before returning to the Rangers in 2011.
 
The Defenceman played three more seasons with the Kitchener Rangers and ended up captaining the team in his final OHL season. Since moving on from playing the game competitively Fanelli co-founded the EMPWR Foundation, a charitable movement created to advance the recovery of head injuries in sport. He also started a podcast called Heroic Minds where he has conversations with people that see the world in a different way due to experience or education. 
 
Ben Fanelli shares his story around Canada to businesses and public schools, you can learn more about his story here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cBjtZ_JIzI&t=191s)