Franky Lapenna (BCom ‘26) is a Telfer finance grad and goalie who played on the Gee-Gees men’s hockey team as a student-athlete for the past three seasons. As he looks to what’s next following his graduation, he reflects on the opportunity to build complementary skills as both an athlete and an aspiring entrepreneur.
The goalie mindset
Lapenna got into hockey at age five. He didn’t start as a goaltender, but when his team’s goalie didn’t show up one day, he volunteered to step in and immediately knew it was the position for him. He’s naturally calm, the kind of person who doesn’t spiral downward—a key part of the job.
“Imagine you were at work and every time you made a mistake on your computer, alarms went off, horns went off, the lights would shine on you and everyone started yelling. That’s the life of a goalie,” he says. “The whole world knows.”
Although being a goalie comes with an incredible amount of pressure, Lapenna feels it’s something he’s built to handle, with his rapid decision-making and emotional control, and his tolerance for scrutiny.
These are the skills that can also be applied to entrepreneurship, an area he is hoping to explore further as he looks to join his family’s business.
Family legacy helped shaped his path
Lapenna grew up surrounded by entrepreneurs. The family business, L.M.L. Paysagiste et Frères, founded in 1951 by his grandfather and later expanded by his father and uncle, has evolved into a leading installer of synthetic sports fields, including for CFL, FIFA, MLS and university stadiums.
That early exposure to the operational side of a business shaped Lapenna’s academic choices. He arrived at Telfer in 2023 intending to study management, but quickly realized much of that knowledge was already available to him directly from his father.
Studying finance, however, offered something different: a deeper understanding of analytical tools and financial modelling that would allow Lapenna to contribute to the family business in a strategic, meaningful way.
How athletics and academics lead to discipline
For three years, Lapenna balanced varsity hockey, full-time courses, a part-time student job and volunteering. Coming from junior hockey, where all of his electives were flexible online modules, Lapenna didn’t expect that the synchronous nature of his undergraduate courses would teach him skills that also improved his athletic life.
“It's all a juggling act, and being a student at Telfer helped me manage it,” he says.
To perform at a high level on the ice, Lapenna had to map out his term, stay ahead of deadlines and complete major assignments before game weekends. That discipline allowed him to show up to practices and games fully focused, knowing his academic responsibilities were already handled.
And then there’s the skill he never expected to learn. “As crazy it sounds,” he says, “I plan on certain days to do nothing so I can get a little mental freedom to do something I like, and that makes me laugh.”
The Telfer way: Going the extra mile to support student passions
Fortunately, the Telfer community gave him the space to pursue his passion. One professor stood out in particular, Shantanu Dutta, who taught financial modelling. Lapenna had to miss three weeks for the FISU Winter World University Games in January 2026 and another three for the U Sports University Cup in March, yet he never fell behind.
Lapenna calls Professor Dutta the most supportive teacher he’s ever had. Dutta set up online learning sessions while Lapenna was away, helped him prepare for midterms during championship week, and made sure he stayed on track even as he chased a national title.
“He asked if this was one of my dreams,” Lapenna recalls, “I said, ‘yes.’ He said, ‘Well, I’m going to help you.’”
The team that changed everything
Looking back at his time with the Gee-Gees, Lapenna says nothing matches the night they captured their first men’s hockey national championship in program history—a win over the Concordia Stingers in the 2025 BioSteel U Cup final.
“It was the day I became a winner in my mind,” he says.
What stayed with him just as much was the people around him. Living with teammates, sharing the same pressures and building a community that felt more like family than a roster made his time at Telfer unforgettable.
“I would recommend any varsity athletes to live with other players. It’s a great way to socialize, make friends and have a great support system.”
Hockey also gave Lapenna a way to give back to his community. As the men’s hockey ambassador for Hockey Gives Blood, he organized blood donor drives alongside the women’s hockey ambassador, Charley Healey, rallying players from both teams. Ironically, he’s terrified of needles, yet he still rolled up his sleeve—even when it meant occasionally fainting in the chair—because he refused to ask others to do something he wouldn’t do himself.
Advice for students
With his degree now in hand, Lapenna reflects on what he picked up along the way from Telfer and the Gee-Gees.
For Lapenna, being a student‑athlete is a special privilege that comes with great responsibility, and his advice to incoming students is straightforward: set yourself up early.
He stresses the importance of reviewing every syllabus, meeting professors on day one, and introducing yourself as an athlete juggling multiple commitments. Building those relationships, he says, makes a real difference—professors are far more supportive than students expect.
From there, success comes down to planning. He recommends mapping out the entire term in advance: games, practices, exams, quizzes, everything. Staying two to three weeks ahead allows you to focus on your sport when you’re competing and focus on academics when you’re in class.
It’s a routine that extends well beyond sports. Whether you're balancing your studies alongside a job or other personal priorities, find a structure that works for you and leave enough room in it to grow and enjoy the experience.
What’s next for Lapenna
Since crossing the stage to receive his diploma, Lapenna plans to pursue his CFA accreditation while playing pro hockey for another year.
He’ll be using the same discipline and ambition that has defined his time at Telfer, guided by a principle he returns to often: “The way you do one thing is the way you do everything,” he says.
This article was written by Zain Ibrahim.
Zain Ibrahim is a third-year marketing student at the Telfer School of Management. As part of her co-op program, she serves as communications and special projects assistant with the Engagement and Development teams at Telfer.
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