By Walter Aguilar - Mental Mindset Coach

From the humble beginnings of street hockey in Aurora, Ontario, to the hallowed halls of Harvard University, Ben Charette’s journey is a testament to perseverance, passion, and the power of self-belief.

Ben’s earliest hockey memories are rooted in the joy of neighborhood games. “I put the pads on and thought it was the most fun position,” he recalls. That joy carried him onto the ice, starting in beginner AE hockey as a player before embracing the goalie pads full-time.

Unlike many rising Canadian stars, Ben’s path was anything but traditional. He never played higher than double A, and just as his chance at triple A arrived, COVID-19 shut the season down before it even began. Many players might have walked away, but Ben focused on what he could control. As Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur put it best: “You can’t control everything, but you can control how hard you work and how you prepare.” Ben did exactly that, channeling his energy into the work that would prepare him for the next opportunity.

That opportunity came at an ID camp for the New Jersey Titans of the NAHL. Competing for a single open goalie spot, Ben seized it. Life on the Jersey Shore with 21 teammates shaped him just as much off the ice as on it. He learned how to thrive in a social environment and leaned into the team’s “comeback kids” mentality. Even as a backup, his relentless effort mattered. Sidney Crosby once said, “You need to work as hard to stay on top as you did to get there.” For Ben, that meant showing up every day, pushing himself and his teammates, and proving his value in ways that didn’t always show up on the scoresheet.

After his time with the Titans, uncertainty crept in. Injuries and questions about his future in hockey weighed heavily, especially after a dislocated shoulder in Whitecourt sidelined him. But like Carey Price reminds us, “It’s about not getting too high and not getting too low. Just stay even-keeled and keep working.” Ben embodied that mindset, finding gratitude in still being part of the team and committing to the grind of recovery.

His second season with the Wolverines told a different story. He started strong, earned NCAA Division I offers, and was ultimately named AJHL Goalie of the Year, even while battling through another injury late in the season. Success, as Jonathan Toews once noted, doesn’t come all at once: “Success doesn’t happen overnight. It’s about small habits and consistent effort every day.” For Ben, those daily habits, the work, the preparation, the persistence all added up to the moment he’d been chasing: a Div. 1 commitment to Harvard.

Arriving at Harvard felt surreal. “Just playing D1 hockey, I was so grateful for the opportunity,” Ben admits. The challenges were immense, but so were the rewards. On a trip to Ireland, his strong play earned him the ice time he’d long desired, setting the tone for his rookie season. Recognition soon followed: an All-Rookie Team selection and an invite to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ development camp, where he refined his game further.

Looking back, Ben sums up his story with humility: “If you set your mind to something, you can accomplish it… Anything is possible if you just work hard and put your head down and stay humble.”

In the words of Henrik Lundqvist, “The mindset has always been the same: believe in yourself and never give up, no matter how hard it gets.”

From Timbits to Harvard, Ben Charette’s story is proof that the road to success is rarely straight. But with belief, discipline, and resilience, even the most unlikely dreams can