Vancouver Giants welcome Ukrainian teen who relocated to B.C. after fleeing war

Friday night’s Vancouver Giants game will go down as an unforgettable experience for Dany Bereza — a Ukrainian teen whose mom sent him to Canada for safety.

The 15-year-old was invited onto the ice and met with players and staff to the Langley Events Centre after the Giants heard about his journey on CityNews and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet him.

“I was on the ice with them, shaked hands [with some players] talked about the game … they were really nice guys. Really they were very kind to me and so open to me,” he told CityNews, adding this meeting was a highlight of his evening.

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Bereza later got to watch the game from a private box.

Bereza was a junior hockey player in Ukraine and says his life goal is to play professional hockey.

Giants Vice President Dale Saip says once the G-Men return from their road trip, the plan is to get him on the ice with new gear he will be receiving, since he wasn’t able to bring his own hockey equipment to his temporary new home.

“I left all my gear in Ukraine cause it was impossible to bring it here … I got here only with one bag, a backpack, and with some documents and a few t-shirts,” Bereza explained.

Equipping him with new gear is all in the hope of finding a local team he can play for to pursue his dream.

“I’m very thankful for that … Because hockey is my main goal in life, gear is very important for me. So I’m very glad.”

For those of you who have been following Dany Bereza’s story this week, here are some pictures from the @WHLGiants game last night. The Ukrainian teen was invited after the team heard his story on @CityNewsVAN. His mom tells me she is deeply grateful to Canada for such a welcome. pic.twitter.com/Y7PzSH4HVb

— Monika Gul (@MonikaGul) March 19, 2022

Earlier in the week, Saip said he was moved by Bereza’s story.

“Heard about him being able to escape the situation in Ukraine and get to Canada through a lot of effort, it sounds like, and I admire the young man’s tenacity. It’s a brave thing, to step out, and it’s very brave of his family to send him,” Saip told CityNews.

“When you hear about kids being displaced — and they are still kids — it kind of pulls at your heartstrings.”

– With files from Monika Gul