DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesota-Duluth defenseman Will Francis was optimistic ahead of his junior season.
A year removed from being declared "cancer free," the Bulldog blueliner said he was in the best shape of his life and has felt great both on and off the ice.
His life, however, recently took a drastic turn. During a routine post-recovery checkup earlier this month, blood tests revealed that the leukemia Francis was diagnosed with back in 2020 had returned.
"I was disappointed and shocked..." Francis posted in a statement on social media. "The way that last season and last school year ended for me, and the way my summer has gone with friends, family and hockey, I was optimistic entering the coming year."
The Anaheim Ducks, who drafted Francis in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, responded, "We are with you the whole way, Will."
Francis, a St. Paul native, played his high school hockey at Centennial High School in Circle Pines where he recorded 31 points in 25 games. He went on to play in the USHL for two seasons with Cedar Rapids before joining UMD. Last season, he played in 28 games for the Bulldogs and assisted on a goal on March 4 for his first collegiate point.
"I'm surrounded and supported by not only my family, all my teammates who are like my brothers, all of our coaches and athletics trainers, and friends but an excellent team of doctors and medical professionals, and they have a plan for us to again attack and defeat the disease. So although I will miss the fall semester of school and hockey due to treatments in the Twin Cities, I anticipate being back on the UMD campus, in class and on the ice at Amsoil (Arena) in January. I WILL BE BACK!"
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
