Ryan Straschnitzki taking up basketball

After dedicating his entire sporting life to hockey, former Humboldt Bronco player Ryan Straschnitzki is looking at another sport to help him fulfil his dream of representing Canada at the Paralympics.

Straschnitzki was paralyzed from the chest down in 2018 when a semi-trailer ran a stop sign and barrelled into the path of the Humboldt Bronco’s bus in rural Saskatchewan.

Straschnitzki has received some discouraging feedback from Hockey Canada about making the national Paralympic sled hockey team.

He says it’s not looking positive at this point due to issues with his balance because of his injury.

Straschnitzki is now focusing on trying wheelchair basketball to make its national team.

He says he will be joining a men’s team this winter and hopes to make his way up through the ranks.

Straschnitzki would like to have a chance to make the wheelchair basketball team before the 2028 Paralympics.