17th annual Kinsmen Sportsmen Dinner honours past year in sport

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“I never made a rep team until I was 16 years old,” he explained. “I got cut every single year, sometimes three times in September. And even the year I made the rep team, I got cut.”

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He continued that he was ready to give up until his brother encouraged and convinced him to tryout one last time.

“I thought, ‘I could do one more day.’ So I go, and I made the team. I have no idea how I made the team, but then all of a sudden, we go on bit of a run. We won the city championship, we won provincials, and then back then, they didn’t have the WHL draft; you just got sent letters.”

Hrudey said that the Medicine Hat Tigers reached out to him offering a tryout and despite being one of the worst teams in the league at the time, he accepted. On the second day of camp, he got some unexpected news.

“My history is I always get cut. I show up on the second day and our coach calls me into the office. What do you think I’m thinking? I go into the office and within five minutes of me being there, he says I’ve made the Medicine Hat Tigers.”

“For all the parents out there that have kids or grandkids, it’s okay to fail. That’s apart of life. You’re always going to get kicked in the teeth, [so] try to suggest to them not to get discouraged.”

Saturday’s guest Kelly Hrudey smiles as he gets a loud applause from guests at the 17th annual Kinsmen Sportsmen Dinner in Prince Albert on Oct. 24, 2026. (Image Credit: Logan Lehmann/paNOW)

Litzenberger was the only award winner in attendance for the event as Diehl is in California training for the 2028 Paralympic Games, and MacDonald was in Swift Current guiding the Prince Albert Raiders to a 7-2 win over the Broncos.

Litzenberger is currently in his freshman season playing football at the University of Regina as a receiver. Prior to making the jump to post-secondary, he was a multi-sport athlete at Carlton Comprehensive High School where he helped the Crusaders capture their first-ever provincial title in football in 2024, along with a silver medal at the HOOPLA basketball provincial championships earlier this year. He also played softball during that time winning national bronze with the Astros in 2025, earning a tournament all-star nod and the Top Utility Player award.

His sports journey started when he was four, which also included soccer.

“Looking back, I never really thought how all these different sports would connect or where they would take me. I just love competing,” he explained. “Every sport has taught me something different.”

“I truly believe being a multi-sport athlete has played a huge role in getting me here. The experiences, skills, friendships, and lessons I’ve learned from each sport have helped me prepare for this opportunity in ways I probably didn’t recognize at the time.”

2026 Male Athlete of the Year, Zane Litzenberger. (Image Credit: Logan Lehmann/paNOW)

Ali Diehl, who’s only 17 years old, is already turning heads on the international swimming stage.

In 2025, she earned five medals at the Canadian Swimming Trials and punched her ticket to the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore as part of Team Canada when she was 16. There, she was the youngest swimmer on the team and finished fourth in the women’s SB9 100-metre breaststroke with a time of 1:21.05, just 78-hundreths of a second behind third place.

Earlier this year, in January, Diehl received two of the highest honours in Saskatchewan sports and in Canadian swimming, being named Saskatchewan’s Youth Female Athlete of the Year and Swimming Canada’s Breakout Swimmer of the Year for their Paralympic Program.

Although unable to attend, she sent a short video message from Los Angeles thanking everyone for their support. Her brothers accepted the award on her behalf.

“I am so thankful for everyone on the board that recognized all my achievements and all my hard work.”

As mentioned, Ryan MacDonald was also unable to attend but he sent in a video message expressing his thanks. In the video, he also touched on the values of “family and home” as it helps keeps him grounded throughout the twists and turns of life.

“Family comes in many forms; offers support when you need it, a sense of purpose, honesty, and something you just can’t imagine living without. Home isn’t restricted to the four walls you live in, it brings you comfort, pride, and meaning.”

MacDonald has been the head coach of his hometown Prince Albert Raiders since March 2025, and went on to guide the team to a WHL Eastern Conference Championship this past season with a 52-10-6 record. Internationally, he was part of the coaching staff for Team Canada at the 2024 U17 World Challenge, the 2025 U17 World Challenge, and the 2026 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, winning gold at each tournament.

His father accepted the award on his behalf.

The night also featured games and raffles, live and silent auctions, and a 50/50 with proceeds supporting the Kinsmen Wave Pool at the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com