By Tim Donelli - HMI Communications & Chapel Coordinator

Ben McLeod is a professional hockey player for the Reading (Pennsylvania) Royals of the ECHL. He is also a Christian who loves the Lord. When you combine his love for God and hockey, Ben is having the time of his life. And while McLeod loves hockey, make no mistake that he is quick to acknowledge that God is first!  A recent speaking engagement at a Christian High School in Reading in December has been one of Ben's off-the-ice highlights this season. More on that in a minute.  

McLeod is in his second season with the Royals, and third season as a professional. Born in Edmonton, Alberta and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Ben's hockey career got started with a brief stint in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Chicoutimi Sangueneens. He then played three seasons of college hockey at the University of Ottawa. After a season of playing in Germany, he came back to North America and went to the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL. At the end of last season he was traded to Reading, and is back with the Royals this season.  

Ben with the students at High Point Baptist Academy after he had the opportunity to share his personal testimony at the school in December.

When he arrived in Reading at the start of the season, one of the first people he met was Royals' team chaplain, Mark Magruder. Told about the team chapel program by Magruder, McLeod became a regular attender. Magruder was impressed with Ben's spiritual maturity, his desire to share his faith, and his eagerness to get involved in the Reading area community.

McLeod was raised in a Christian family, and whlle growing up his father was an ordained Pastor. "I was exposed to the Gospel at a very young age, and made the decision to accept Christ when I was eight years old," said McLeod.  During his teenage years, Ben had some doubts about the Christian faith his parents exposed him to at an early age. "I had to make the decision that what I had learned from my parents is what I really wanted."

The Lord used hockey to have Ben come to the realization that He wanted to serve God with all his heart. "The big decision-maker for me was when I moved away from home to play junior hockey," recalls McLeod. "I ended up getting cut and I was sent home. That was the time that I surrendered my hockey career to God, and realized what it meant to surrender everything to Him. Not surrender just my faith but my entire life to Him, including my hockey career."

In December, Magruder arranged for McLeod to speak to the students at High Point Baptist Academy in Reading. "Because I came up in a similar background that the students at the school are coming up in now, I just encouraged them to make their faith their own and choose to surrender their lives to God," said McLeod. "What was really cool was the response from the kids. A couple weeks after the appearance I got a hand-written note from all the kids thanking me for coming. That really touched me and made it all worthwhile."

(L-R) Reading Royals' chaplain Mark Magruder, Ben, High Point Baptist Academy Administrator, Michael Windsor.

"We were thrilled to have Ben McLeod in our chapel," said High Point Baptist Academy Administrator, Michael Windsor. "The kids loved having a professional athlete speak to them; more importantly, Ben challenged the students spiritually. He was fun, yet his message was relevant and poignant. Ben shared his life story, emphasizing the importance of living a life focused on God rather than things of this world: his position as a Christian professional hockey player illustrated this lesson well. Overall, the students had a blast, and the crowd that wanted to meet him and get an autograph after chapel displayed their enjoyment."

McLeod is also a regular attender at Royals' chapels. Magruder, the long-time chaplain of the Royals, stages a chapel once a week when the team is in town. "The chapels have been a huge blessing here in Reading,"  remarked, Ben. "The spiritual climate here in Reading is totally open just because of a small thing like a chapel, where once a week guys can come out and explore those spiritual questions. Everybody has them you know. I think it is great what HMI is doing." 

Ben is also no stranger to the Hockey Ministries International Camp ministry. He attended the HMI Briercast camp in Caronport, Saskatchewan for several years, and his dad also served as an on-ice instructor at those camps. More recently, Ben has been an instructor at the HMI camp in Kingston, Ontario.

Another HMI event that McLeod has taken part in the past few years is the 5 V 5 tournament held in his hometown of Ottawa, Ontario. Ben has played for the Ottawa squad at this highly competitive event, as well as the Montreal, Quebec team. Long-time HMI staff member and former National Hockey League forward, Laurie Boschman, plans to ensure that McLeod in on the Ottawa team playing alongside him in 2010. Laughingly Boschman recently told me.."Tim, you tell Ben that we want him on the Ottawa team this year and not on Montreal's." 

Ben poses with fans who bid on his Reading Royals' jersey in a post-game jersey auction for charity.

Ben stays very busy these days. Whether it's playing his best for the Reading Royals, sharing Jesus Christ with a teammate, regularly attending Royals' chapels, attending a player appearance in the community, or thinking about which team he will play for in this year's 5 V 5 tournament, for Ben McLeod it's nice to be wanted!