Curator of Hockey Hall of Fame guest speaker at 2026 Minor Sports Council Banquet; Wall of Fame inductees announced

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

This year’s Stratford Minor Sports Council (SMSC) Banquet will be one to remember. Phil Pritchard, curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame, will be the guest of honour and emcee of the evening – and he’ll be bringing a few trophies for those in attendance.

As Murray Patterson of the SMSC explained, Pritchard will be bringing the Four Nations Cup, the Clarkson Cup and the Hart Memorial Trophy. Stratford, a hockey town through-and-through, has strong ties to the sport, with multiple local legends like Tim Taylor and Craig Hartsburg, which is why Pritchard is coming.

But its sporting accomplishments go beyond just hockey – which is where the banquet comes in.

Each year, the SMSC holds an annual banquet and awards ceremony, recognizing Stratford’s prominent minor sporting successes and the athletes and volunteers which achieved greatness in hockey, soccer, softball, baseball, basketball, volleyball and more. Three awards are given out to Female Athlete of the Year, Male Athlete of the Year, and Sports Person of the Year.

Marianne Hawley of the SMSC explained the judging panel looks at which sport the applicants are involved in, as well as what other extracurricular activities they are involved in, their grades, volunteering and community involvement.

Fourteen nominees are shortlisted for the prizes this year, including:

• Sloan Cameron, hockey and soccer.

• Olivia Leppington, soccer and volleyball.

• Lyla Straus, softball and volleyball.

• Zack Davidson, basketball.

• Owen Hearn, hockey.

• Owen Holloway, soccer.

• Grady Murphy, baseball.

• Ethan Priestap, softball.

• Jashanveer Singh, basketball.

• Corey Bridges, baseball.

• Treanna Gropp, softball.

• Graham Heaton, basketball.

• Kira Hughes, soccer.

• Jessie Jacob, hockey.

In addition to the minor sports awards, the 2026 Stratford Sports Wall of Fame inductees will also be honoured that evening. Patterson and Hawley revealed Kevin Aitcheson, Robert Keith “Swede” McCully and Oren “Lefty” Price will be going up as Wall of Fame Athletes. The 1941 Kist Canadians Jr. B Hockey team and the 1978 Bantam Hishon Sports team will be going up as Wall of Fame Teams. John Kastner is this year’s Wall of Fame Builder.

The banquet takes place April 25 at the Army Navy & Air Force Veterans hall at 151 Lorne Ave. E. Doors open at 5 p.m. and dinner starts at 6 p.m.

Presentations will follow dinner, and attendees are encouraged to stay and socialize afterward.

Tickets are $35 per person and can be purchased from the clerk secretary at the Stratford Rotary Complex’s arena doors, or over the phone by calling 519-271-0250, ext. 245.