Lethbridge hockey player burned by campfire emerges from coma
The Canadian Press | Posted: June 26, 2018 6:18 PM | Last Updated: June 26, 2018
20-year-old Ryan Vandervlis faces months of recovery
A player with the Western Hockey League's Lethbridge Hurricanes who was burned by a campfire earlier this month has emerged from a medically induced coma.
Ryan Vandervlis, a 20-year old centre with the elite major junior team, suffered severe burns to the front of his body.
A GoFundMe page to raise money for his family says he's recovering at Foothills hospital in Calgary where he's heavily sedated and faces months of recovery.
Two others — Jordy Bellerive, a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, and alumnus Matt Alfaro, who now plays for the University of Calgary Dinos — were also injured and are expected to recover.
They were among a group of 10 young men who had gathered at the family home of Hurricanes alumnus Tyler Wong as part of a pre-wedding celebration.
The three injured men were sharing a bench in front of the firepit when there was an explosion.
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