Sopotyk wins bronze at Canada Summer Games

By Rob Mahon

In January of 2021, former Prince Albert Mintos forward Kyrell Sopotyk suffered a horrible injury while snowboarding that left him unable to walk and ended his hockey career.

It did not, however, end his athletic achievements.

The Aberdeen product won a bronze medal in the men’s 1,500-metre wheelchair race at the Canada Summer Games. It’s an impressive feat made all the more so by the fact that he only started training and competing last year.

Sopotyk competes in Saskatoon on the Cyclones Track and Field Club Team, and is also a member of the 2022 Wheelchair Basketball Junior National All Star Team.

Prior to the accident in 2021, Sopotyk was a member of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers for two seasons, and before that he was a long-serving member of the Mintos male AAA team.

He played parts of three seasons in Prince Albert, putting up 47 goals and 72 points in just 52 games.

Sopotyk raced at 2:15 Eastern time Wednesday, competing against teammate Yousif Kaed, who placed fifth.

This was the fifth bronze and the 12th medal overall for Saskatchewan at the Summer Games.