UMD men’s hockey player fights a battle of a lifetime

William Francis is currently a sophomore at UMD. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

William Francis came into his first year at the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2019 with a bright future ahead of him and a spot on the three-time National Champion UMD men’s hockey team for the 2020-2021 season. In March 2020, however, Francis’ world turned upside down when he was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Francis committed in Oct. 2018 to play for the Bulldogs, coming from the Cedar Rapid Roughriders. 

Recovering from a knee injury, Francis’ hockey career was put on pause in order to come back to full strength. Attending UMD as a student was still a priority, Francis said, and he transferred to on-campus living with soon to be teammates in January. 

In early March, after weeks of feeling sick with what was thought to be the common cold, Francis was surrounded by family when the news broke on his diagnosis. 

On March 13, the same week a national emergency was announced concerning COVID-19, Francis was admitted to the hospital to start the battle of a lifetime. Living day by day, he would endure intensive chemotherapy treatment. 

With the whirlwind of events this year, Francis kept his head high. His attitude on his cancer kept him fighting.

“For me there was only one option: To go through it and to crush it,” Francis said. “Part of my personality is humorous as well, so I made sure to keep that in use just to make things easier — not so much on me, but the people around me, especially my parents.” 

Sitting alone in the ICU, Francis was listening to the popular barstool podcast, “Spittin Chiclets,” when he heard mention of his name in the podcast episode. Hosts Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney talked about Francs’ drive and sent their support in his fight.

“Everyday, Will would have me listen to Spittin Chiclets,” Nico Vega, a friend and former roommate to Francis, said. “He is a huge fan of them. I’ll never forget the day Will called me and told me to listen to their most recent episode. This was a huge moment for him.” 

Francis had a strong support system from friends and family, and he kept in close contact with everyone during his battle. 

Francis’s idol and hockey legend, Bobby Orr, called to express his support, alongside many other well-known players. This motivated Francis tremendously.

The hockey community poured out support for Francis’ fight. 

“There isn’t anything else in the world like the hockey community, even if you don’t know that person directly,” Francis said. “They also have kept in touch with me, which is awesome.” 

Francis went into remission four months later on July 9, 2020.

Francis is determined to play again and is returning to UMD through distance learning this fall, in addition to working on regaining his strength through physical therapy and on-ice training. Francis is preparing to return to UMD campus in January to join the UMD men’s hockey team and pursue a professional career. 

In the 2019 National Hockey League draft, Francis was a sixth round pick for the Anaheim Ducks, and he is determined to fulfill that role.

“Will’s competitiveness, determination, skill and overall passion for the game of hockey is clearly seen through the way he plays and the way he acts inside and outside of the rink,” teammate Luke Loheit said. “He wants to have success at the highest level, knowing that there should be nothing that will come in between him getting back on the ice and playing the sport he loves.”

Francis knows his recovery is a long and winding road. 

“It doesn’t happen overnight,” Francis said. “It’s going to be a process, and it’s not going to be easy. There will be ups and downs with getting back into it, but just staying consistent will be my top priority. Positively, I think it’s grown my mental toughness tremendously and that’s only going to benefit me moving forward in every aspect of life.” 

The UMD men’s hockey team is currently in Omaha, Nebraska competing in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Pod to kick off the season. They start their record 5-1-2 as of Dec. 16.