Oakville hockey player Danny Zhilkin, along with his partner Lauren Shoss, have created a new organization called Zhilkin’s Vision, set to focus on the destigmatization of mental health among all athletes.
Danny is an OHL player with the Guelph Storm and a recent draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets and Lauren is currently attending Boston University's Sports Psychology and Counselling program.
"From my own experience, I think every hockey player battles mental health struggles at some point during their career. It doesn't matter if you're 12 or 13 in minor hockey, or if you're a professional hockey player," Zhilkin said.
"I wanted to do this with Lauren, we can share our experiences as well as raise awareness. Mental health is almost 80 percent of any sport, not just hockey, it's a touching subject and something people don't think or talk about as often as they should."
Last season, heading into his draft year, Danny sought out help and connected with a sports psychologist in the summer of 2021 in order to help him for his big year.
"It helped me tremendously," said Zhilkin. "In my draft year, I struggled. I was hard on myself with points. I understood that points weren't everything and just focused on doing the right things well."
Danny and his family overcame extreme adversity when he immigrated to Canada at a very young age.
At nine years old Danny flew to Canada from Russia to attend a hockey camp and after the camp, one of the coaches told Danny that he wanted him on his team.
Danny then went home with his family, packed all of their bags and set out for a new life in Canada.
More details on the program such as a website and donation information are set to come out soon.
Danny and Laura are extremely excited about what is to come next for them, this organization, and all the people they will help.
You can see more of the organization's work online here.