LISTOWEL – From a young age, Kaleb Dahlgren had no choice but to be resilient.
His hockey career was threatened before it started by a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes at four years old. Dahlgren was told by coaches and scouts that he would never succeed in hockey. Instead of defeat, he used the negativity as motivation.
Dahlgren worked relentlessly and played the highest level of hockey each year of his young career. He proved his doctors and coaches wrong by going on to play hockey at an elite level, playing for the Humboldt Broncos.
Dahlgren doesn’t remember the collision. On Friday, April 6, 2018, he was sitting in his regular seat near the back of the bus as he and his Humboldt Broncos teammates made their way to Nipawin to play Game 6 in their Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff series with the rival Hawks. They never made it to the rink, after the Broncos’ team bus was involved in a horrific crash.
It resulted in the death of 16 players and left 13 others with critical injuries – many with life-long injuries. Dahlgren was one of the 13 players. He suffered extensive injuries including a fractured skull, a traumatic brain injury, and several fractures in his neck and back.
What Dahlgren has accomplished since the incident is nothing short of extraordinary. Only two months after the crash, he was skating again, leaving doctors at a loss to explain how he was able to function given the seriousness of his brain injury.
By the fall of 2018, Dahlgren was enrolled at York University, where he had previously agreed in February 2018 – just a few weeks before the collision – to a scholarship to study and play hockey. He practiced with the team, but never played in any games. The risk was just too great and so he reluctantly retired from playing.
During his time at York, he continued to put in as much effort into his academic studies as he did when he played the game he loved. He earned a bachelor of commerce degree, graduating as valedictorian, Magna Cum Laude, and Varsity Athletics Male Graduate of the Year in April 2021. Currently, Dahlgren is studying to become a Doctor of Chiropractic.
Dahlgren is dedicated to helping others, whether that’s through sharing his story or through his community volunteer work. He is the founder of Dahlgren’s Diabeauties, a mentorship program designed in 2017 to give back to children with Type 1 diabetes. Through this program, he is able to raise awareness, support, and guidance to his community of Diabeauties.
Dahlgren is also the recipient of the Canadian Volunteer Award for Emerging Leader of the Prairies, the National JDRF Young Volunteer of the Year award, and dozens of other accolades for his community service.
In addition to all of Dahlgren’s accomplishments and challenges, he found time to become a No. 1 Bestselling Author for his memoir, Crossroads – the story of his life thus far. As a speaker, he is known for his honesty, his inspiration, and his captivating storytelling. In the face of insurmountable odds, Dahlgren shows that through perseverance you can do anything.
Dahlgren will be speaking at the Listowel Fairgrounds (at the grandstands) on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 each (children five and under are free) and can be purchased online at https://frontdoor.plus/store/?e=88 or by calling 519-291-0644.
Gates to the fairgrounds open at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 24 and seating is first come, first serve. Dahlgren’s book will be on sale at the event, with an opportunity for book signings after he speaks.
