Hockey player burned by campfire out of a coma, fundraising underway for family
CALGARY — 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.
“He is now recovering at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary where he is heavily sedated to aid healing, facing months of recovery and multiple surgeries,” said a GoFundMe page created to raise money for his family.
Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt said Vandervlis — known to his teammates as Vandy — has a long road to recovery.