PA’s 2025 best in sport honoured at Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner

Litzenberger was recognized for Sportsperson of the Year after leading the team that helped bring the 2025 Men’s Softball World Cup to Prince Albert this past summer. The tournament helped create an economic impact of $9.4 million for the county and $6.9 million for the province, $6.1 million of which went to Prince Albert alone.

Throughout the tournament, he led a committee that consisted of seven executive directors, 30 directors, and over 300 volunteers. The 2025 World Cup also featured over 150 community sponsors.

Litzenberger got choked up when talking about the journey of bringing three world class softball events to the city over the course of more than a decade.

“11 years…” Litzenberger said with a deep breath during his acceptance speech. “The trifecta of 11 years by all of you in this room, in this community, who brought three international events to the city. We brought the world to PA…11 damn years, twenty-five per cent of my life.”

“When I first moved here, this really bothered me quite a bit, I heard it a lot: we can’t do it [because] we’re PA, PA can’t compete with the big cities, we’re too small. Well guess what? We’re not. This entire room is an example of why we’re not. This city is the little engine that could and in 11 years, we’ve had three events of World Cup softball. We’ve had over 800 volunteers, amazing executives, and 200 plus community partners digging into what we do, many of you in this room.”

He added that 23 World Cup teams have played in Prince Albert over the course of those three tournaments.

The 2024 World Cup Qualifiers generated roughly $3.6 million in economic impact for the city, while the 2018 Junior Men’s Softball World Championship generated approximately $10 million.

2025 Sportsperson of the Year Ian Litzenberger (right) accepts his award from Prince Albert Kinsmen Club president Wes Moore during the Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner on Saturday. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW)

Reiger was the leader for the Prince Albert Predators this past season, guiding the team to their third straight Prairie Gold Lacrosse League (PGLL) title and second consecutive MacDonald Cup, Western Canada’s Jr. B lacrosse championship. At the tournament in Abbotsford, BC, this past August, the Predators assistant captain was named Offensive Player of the Tournament and Top Scorer, posting 35 points (19G-16A) in just five games.

More recently, Reiger completed his freshman season at the University of Mount Olive (UMO) in North Carolina, a school at the NCAA Division II level. In 14 games, the college rookie had 22 goals and 18 assists, and is set to return for his sophomore season with the Trojans in early 2026.

Via video, he thanked those who helped him get to this point in his athletic career, and congratulated his fellow athlete of the year winner, and former hockey teammate, Zablocki.

Brayden’s parents, Derek (left) and Taryn, accept the award on his behalf. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW)

Speaking of, Stryker had a career year in 2025 both on and off the ice.

At the start of this year, she won her first World Championship with Team Canada during the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships in Finland where she was the tournaments leading scorer with 12 points and was named an IIHF All-Star as a forward.

Additionally, she did a portion of her Grade 12 year south of the border in Rochester, NY, where she was a key part of the Bishop Kearny Selects women’s hockey team that won the program’s first-ever US national championship. The win came less than a year after she won Canadian national gold with the Regina Rebels at the Esso Cup, making her the first female hockey player to win Canadian, US, and World championships within a 365-day span.

Off the ice, she made history by earning a spot among the fastest U20 runners in the country with a 11.74-second finish during the Saskatchewan Provincial Championships. She also won two golds during the SHSAA Track and Field Provincials in Moose Jaw in June, and two more at the Saskatchewan Provincial Track and Field Championships and Trials in Regina later that same month.

Like Reiger, she also couldn’t attend the event and did her speech via video, thanking family, coaches, and the community for having her back as she chases her dreams. Currently, she is in Boston, Mass. playing for Northeastern University in the Hockey East Conference of NCAA Division I, where she currently has six points (1G-5A) through six games as a freshman.

Stryker’s dad, Jay, accepts the award. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW)

The Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner is the Club’s most popular fundraiser, generating thousands of dollars in revenue – all of which goes back into community projects like the Lake Country CO-OP Leisure Centre, Alfred Jenkins Fieldhouse, E.A. Rawlinson Centre, and the Art Hauser Centre, on top of the many local Kinsmen branded sports centres, rinks, facilities, parks, sports teams, and much more.

In addition to Wendel Clark, the event has hosted other sporting legends over the years, including WWE’s Bret “Hitman” Hart, and NHLers Dale Hawerchuk, Chris Chelios, Ray Bourque, and Jeremy Roenick.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

by Logan Lehmann

PA’s 2025 best in sport honoured at Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner

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