The love story between Quebec and the Ukrainian team that took part in the last international pee wee hockey tournament isn’t over yet. Six members of this team have received official confirmation that they will move to the Old Capital within a month and spend the next hockey season there.

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These youngsters are forwards Mykyta Staskevich, Maksim Shtepa, Yehor Pyshalko and Zahar Kovalenko, defender Yehor Kosenko and goalkeeper Matvii Kulish.

The plan calls for them to land in Quebec around August 25. In the case of Shtepa, her mother is expected to come along as well. She would like to spend the winter here and work on Quebec soil.

Once again, it was Sean Bérubé, the man behind the Ukrainian team’s visit to Quebec last February, who orchestrated the project.

Recall that four players had expressed interest in staying when they left Quebec on February 20. One thing led to another, for six of them the project became a reality.

Bérubé, supported by his two henchmen as in February, Olivier Hubert-Benoit and François Robert, took care of most of the logistics and got them a school and an ice hockey team for the 2023–2024 season. These six youngsters will study at Saint-Patrick’s Secondary School in Quebec and their place on the school team at the M15 level of Premier League has been confirmed.

“I committed myself to them,” confirmed Bérubé, who was called from India, where he is on a business trip for his company. I spent four weeks with them and we became friends. They are such nice little guys and there have only been positives. It is important to me to continue to help them.”

A year and we’ll see

What we do know is that these six young people will spend the winter in Quebec, go to school here and spend hockey season here.

After that, Bérubé prefers not to go too far. The situation in Ukraine is changing rapidly and it is difficult to predict how the war will end in a year.

For now, they have been able to obtain extended temporary status to enter Canada thanks to the Canada-Ukraine Emergency Travel Authorization (CUATU). This is a measure enacted by the Canadian government that allows “extended temporary status for Ukrainians and their family members.” [qui] allows them to work, study and stay in Canada until they can safely return to their country.”

They therefore do not have to pay the same fees as foreign students from countries where there is no war.

The Ukrainian team enchanted Quebec City during their visit to the Tournoi International de Hockey Pee-Wee de Québec last February.

Archive photo

But these are formalities that these young people don’t care about. Eventually, her dream, which began with entering the Pee-Wee tournament, will continue.

“Young people take their academic and sporting careers very seriously. Her goal is to play at St-Pat’s at school level for three years and then secure a place at the M18 AAA level. Your goal is to play for Quebec Remparts!” says Bérubé.

Because even from their bombed Ukraine, during the last series they followed the course of the Remparts, a team they discovered during the Pee-Wee tournament.

“They followed everything they did on the internet,” he says.

run away from the war

The young Ukrainians had tried poutine from Ashton in Quebec.

File photo, Stevens LeBlanc

But apart from where they will go to study or who they will play hockey with, the main purpose of their trip to Quebec remains to escape the war in their homeland.

“When I called Mykyta Staskevitch’s mother to say that her trip to Quebec was possible, she replied that this good news was timely,” says Bérubé. The city of Dnipro where they live has been bombed several times and their apartment had just burned down.”

Mykyta Staskevich

Photo Stevens LeBlanc

He sent photos of the apartment that was on fire. On the wall, however, the medals collected by young Mykyta had been spared.

“His mother said to me, ‘At least his medals aren’t burned.'”

Young Mykyta Staskevich’s medals survived the flames.

Photo courtesy of Sean Bérubé

This is the beginning

Moreover, Bérubé has no intention of stopping. He and his followers founded a non-profit organization called “Mission Druzhba” whose two main missions are to recruit a team from Ukraine to the Pee-Wee tournament each year and then to help these young people continue their studies in Quebec during the war.

It is possible to make donations that contribute to the realization of these projects.

Her website has also been online since Thursday and can be consulted there Here.

“He had left his coat and clothes with us”

François Robert was very emotional on February 20 when he said goodbye to the young Ukrainian Pipi Pizza.

Photo archive, QMI Agency (Thierry Laforce)

Olivier Hubert-Benoit and François Robert didn’t hesitate for a second when the opportunity arose to welcome a young Ukrainian into their home for the next school year.

In the case of Robert, he will once again welcome the great goalkeeper Matvii Kulish, who he also hosted last February.

And while he didn’t have confirmation, the father-of-three knew deep down that Kulish would return to live with him.

“When he left he told us he wanted to come back and we spoke to his mother who agreed. He had even left his coat and some clothes with us. We knew he would come back. I have three girls at home so there’s pink, purple and clouds on the walls! We changed the decor and color of the walls. We asked Matvii what her favorite color is and painted her walls green. He will have the basement and his whole room is ready to accommodate him.

ARCHIVE PHOTO, DIDIER DEBUSSCHISSER

The Robert family and young Matvii have also been in constant contact since the Ukrainian team left on February 20. Interactions that have allowed the Quebec family to remind themselves almost daily that a war is raging in this Eastern European country.

“In the beginning we talked almost every day. He’s not particularly talkative, but he asks us how you’re doing and he often sends us pictures of himself and videos from his hockey tournaments, but also from the war and the sirens.

“We also talk a lot with his mother, who asks us a lot of questions, including how he will dress at school and how the buses will work. She is very interested in the beautiful path he will walk here.

Not the party!

For his part, Hubert-Benoit does not yet officially know who he will receive. But he knows the experience will be just as rewarding as last winter, just a little different. On top of that we had to make sure the young people understood that they weren’t going to be stars in town like they were last February!

“The war is ongoing and doesn’t seem to be over yet. We think it’s important to continue our good deed by helping these young people graduate. I have three children and the number one goal is for them to be successful in school. During the Pee-Wee tournament we were in holiday mode, but there the approach will be different and it will be important to put the school first.

Olivier Hubert-Benoit poses with Mykyta Staskevitch and Yehor Kosenko last February.

Archive photo

In addition, Sean Bérubé is always looking for families to house the last hockey players. It is not impossible that he himself received one at his residence in Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier.