OJHL's Ben Morris, who spent week in coma after fractured larynx, is back on the ice

Ben Morris' parents tell him he spent seven days in a coma in December. He says eight, since he has "no recollection" of the day he regained consciousness.

There's always a choice to let trauma be defining, debilitating or strengthening. The 17-year-old forward who suffered a fractured larynx when he was struck in the throat by a slapshot last Dec. 5 while playing for the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Burlington Cougars chose the latter. On Saturday, Morris is lacing up his skates at Peterborough Petes rookie camp as he resumes pursuing his hockey career. He's even managed, despite that week where he was being fed intravenously, to get up to 185 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame, 10 more than his pre-injury playing weight.

"I was never really hesitant to get back out there. Everything I've done in my life has been toward playing hockey," says the Georgetown, Ont., resident, who had a titanium plate placed in his neck during surgery.  "I've dedicated myself to it. I changed schools so I could focus on it. What happened to me was a freak accident and it will never happen again.

"The support I had after my injury was extremely overwhelming," Morris adds. "That's one of the biggest factors in my return. I was talked about by Don Cherry on Hockey Night in Canada. So many people genuinely wanted me to succeed.

"Everything I've done to get back on the ice and resume playing stems from the support I have had throughout this whole process."

On that night five months ago Morris fell to his right after taking a faceoff against the Orangeville Flyers as the puck went back to the point. From about eight feet away, an Orangeville defenceman stepped into a slapshot — the classic two-second play — and the puck hit Morris in the throat.

Morris returned to the Cougars bench. Once it became evident something was amiss, his father Gerry drove him to hospital in Burlington. He was transferred to St. Michael's Hospital in downtown Toronto, where doctors placed him in a medically induced coma to reduce swelling in order to allow Dr. Jennifer Anderson to perform surgery.

'Made me realize how much this game means to me'

Morris says he shed about 50 pounds during his 12-day hospital stay — "the first week out, you just eat so much." A few days after his release on Dec. 15, his father and his mother, Terri, took him public skating, officially cuing his comeback.

"I just hate to be away," Morris says. "I think this has made me realize how much this game means to me."

While the injury ended his rookie season in Burlington, Morris practised and supported his teammates on road trips. During a 10-minute or so chat on Thursday, he was quick to thank people who have helped him in his comeback.

"My coach last year in high school at Blyth Academy, C.J. Morrison, has been huge for me, finding ice wherever to work with me," says Morris, who had four goals and 11 points over 32 games in the OJHL. "Even this week, he's been running me through all sorts of drills, anything he can think of to help me get ready for this weekend. My power skating coach, Sonya Shewchuk, has also been great.

"One other person I have to mention is my trainer, Dan Rogers. He's worked me super-hard to get me to put on weight. I'm definitely getting stronger.

"I feel like I'm better than before the injury."

Morris sees himself as a forward who wins more 50/50 puck battles than he loses and also offers skill  to a team. His adviser, Jonas Tomiuck, helped get him a look-see with the Petes, who could be a young team next season in need of help. Morris is a strong student — he's graduating high school a couple months early, having written his last exam at Blyth this week — and his options between major junior and college hockey are open. 

In any event, after his misfortune shortly before last Christmas, he's like any other optimistic teen eager to find a place in the hockey world.

"I'm extremely excited — it's a terrific opportunity," Morris says. "I don't control the outcome, just the input. I'm excited to show what I can do. I just want to play at the highest level I can, and hopefully I can get an invite to the main camp."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.