New beginnings in Bridgewater

There have been a lot of big changes in Matteo Pellizzari’s life over the
past seven months.

Back in April, the 15-year-old was playing for BC Hockey’s provincial para
hockey team, with scrimmages twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturday. Now,
he is working out daily and travelling across the country for training
camps ahead of his international debut at the Para Hockey Cup in
Bridgewater, N.S., as the youngest member of Canada’s National Para Hockey Team.

“It’s kind of been a whirlwind, but it’s been really good,” the Vancouver,
B.C., native says.

Pellizzari was born without his fibulas in both of his legs—a rare
condition called bilateral fibular hemimelia. He became a double-leg
amputee from the knee down when he was one year old.

“It’s the only thing I’ve ever really known,” Pellizzarri says about being
an amputee. “I honestly can’t imagine my life any other way.”

There have been many opportunities that Pellizzari has been able to pursue
due to his amputations. He is actively involved in the War Amps Child
Amputee Program (CHAMPS) and was previously featured in a War Amps
commercial, brochures and on parade floats. As he got older, he started to
volunteer for CHAMPS to give back to the program that has given him so
much.

“They’ve made all the difference in my life. They’ve provided me with so
many opportunities,” he says. “They pay for all my recreational
prosthetics… they even actually paid for my first (para hockey) sled that I
ever got that was custom made for me.”

The assistance from CHAMPS opened the door for Pellizzari to try playing
multiple sports. He enjoys volleyball, running, swimming and golfing, but
his true passion has always been para hockey. Pellizzari first got on the
ice when he was four years old.

“I distinctly remember the first time I played. I felt like I was going so
fast, it was so awesome,” he says. “I fell in love on day one, it was a
love at first sight.”

At first, Pellizzari learned the fundamentals of para hockey with other
kids his age. However, it quickly became evident that he had a natural
talent for the sport, so he moved up to playing with the adult teams when
he was nine years old.

“I started playing with 30-year-old, huge men that played for Team B.C. and
I thought that was incredible,” the forward explains. “I was awestruck. I
was definitely the worst on the ice.”

With the ceiling raised to set new goals in para hockey, Pellizzari
continued to improve and excel in the sport. His talent also started to be
noticed by members of Canada’s National Para Hockey Team. Veteran
defenceman Adam Dixon first met Pellizzari at the Cruisers Cup in 2021.

“[Pellizzari] was connected to Greg Westlake, the former captain and one of
my best friends, and Greg said, ‘Hey, come meet this kid, he’s a pretty
cool guy,’” Dixon says. “Obviously it took a lot of dedication to fly in
from B.C. to play in a tournament in Mississauga for a weekend.”

In April, Pellizzari was invited to his first NextGen Para Hockey
Development Camp in Montreal, where Dixon served as a mentor for the
participants.

“That was when I really got to spend a lot of time with him,” Dixon
explains. “Obviously, with him being a double-leg amputee, I think he is a
very good player. He has it all figured out… he’s already the best kid in
B.C.”

“As soon as I went to NextGen camp, that really opened my eyes (to the)
possibilities that I have in the sport,” Pellizzari adds. “It was really
exciting for me. It was so incredible seeing how Hockey Canada organizes
these events.”

One thing that stood out to Dixon was Pellizzari’s willingness to learn and
not being afraid to ask questions in order to understand every piece of
advice. Working with Pellizzari also reminded Dixon of his experience
joining Canada’s National Para Hockey Team when he was 17.

“The people that I had watched on TV—Brad Bowden, Billy Bridges, Greg
Westlake—all of a sudden went from being my heroes to now my teammates, and
it was so funny being reminded of that,” he says.

“He was using Greg Westlake’s sticks that Greg had given him, and he had
never retaped them because he didn’t want to take off the tape that Greg
had put on there. I cut the tape off his sticks and said, ‘Hey, we’re going
to learn how to tape our sticks today.’ (It’s) all those little things that
I remember being young and being a fan of the sport, and I can see that in
him.”

After an impressive showing at NextGen camp, Pellizzari was invited to
selection camp for Canada’s National Para Hockey Team in September.

“Before tryouts happened, [Pellizzari’s] dad actually tracked me down on
Facebook and had me call him, and just asked for me to look out for him,”
Dixon says. “When he got there, he didn’t need anyone looking out for him.

“He’s so mature. He’s so open to everything. He hasn’t really played
high-level hockey at all, so everything that we’re giving him, he has to
soak it up and he soaks it up so well. He understands it and he applies it,
and I think that’s a pretty impressive trait.”

By the end of selection camp, Pellizzari had earned a spot on the national
team roster—a feat that took him completely by surprise.

“I was thinking this is really cool that they’re even considering me for
this,” Pellizzari says. “I was super excited just to play at the highest
level in Canada, and then all of a sudden I made the team and that was
mind-blowing.”

As the youngest member of Team Canada, Pellizzari says all his veteran
teammates have been welcoming to him and offer him advice, but his
connection with Dixon has stood out. Dixon also considers Pellizzari to be
one of his best friends on the team.

“Adam Dixon, he’s been a mentor right since NextGen camp. [He’s been] super
helpful [as I’ve been] finding my way to Team Canada,” Pellizzari says. “I
think that playing with all these veterans is going to provide me with a
lot of insight for what I can look forward to.”

What’s it like to balance being a member of Canada’s National Para Hockey
Team while in high school? Well, Pellizzari says he’s still trying to
figure that out and takes it one day at a time. He has worked with his high
school so he can complete his workout requirements for Team Canada instead
of taking a physical education class.

But as Dixon discovered, the young forward has the work ethic needed to
keep up in school and keep up in his para hockey training.

“I was his roommate [at the] last [training] camp, and the kid, all he did
was homework. He’s so responsible,” Dixon says. “For [my] first year, I
would pack all my textbooks from high school, put them in my backpack and
fly around with them, and they would stay in my backpack. I’d never open
them.”

The 2022 Para Hockey Cup will be Pellizzari’s international debut with Team
Canada, and he will have a big group of fans cheering him on. His family
will be travelling across the country to Bridgewater, N.S., to see him wear
the Maple Leaf for the first time.

“Without my family and my friends, I think that I definitely wouldn’t be
where I am today. They’ve made all the difference,” he says. “They’ve
really set me up for success and they’ve been super encouraging for me.”

Looking to the future, Pellizzari hopes his experience with Team Canada
will give him the opportunity to continue to grow the game in his home
province and across the country. As one of several new players to Canada’s
National Para Hockey Team, he is looking forward to growing as a player
with his teammates over the next four years.

“This is really special because there’s so many young players and we’re
building Team Canada this year for the next Paralympics. We’re starting
from the beginning, and I’m really excited to be a part of that.”