Ryan Straschnitzki. (submitted photo/Ryan Straschnitzki)

By Ben Tompkins

Ryan Straschnitzki

Former Bronco pursuing Paralympic dream

Mar 28, 2023 | 3:59 PM

A member of the 2017/18 Humboldt Broncos is still pursuing hockey at the highest level, but now it’s in a different way.

Ryan Straschnitzki was paralyzed from the chest down in 2018, following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, which claimed the lives of 16 people and injured 13 others.

Shortly after the accident, he watched Canada lose to the United States in Para Ice Hockey, which is when he decided to shift his focus.

“Since the injury, I knew I wanted to get back on the ice right away. Four months after the accident, I got back onto the ice and ultimately fell in love with the game all over again, found that passion and decided, I’m going to work at this sport,” Straschnitzki told northeastNOW.

“In the pursuit of getting better, hopefully, I can make the Paralympics and call myself a Paralympian. It’s just a goal in the meantime, but for now, I’m just going to continue to work hard and enjoy it.”

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Straschnitzki usually starts his day around 7 a.m., before doing some physio and hitting the ice. Then, by the afternoon, he’ll do some work on the Straz Strong Foundation, before working on his public speaking and catching up on the accessibility architecture classes he’s currently taking at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

Straschnitzki said he hopes that people with both mental and physical abilities can use his foundation to learn their passion and find the light at the end of the tunnel.

“From the moment I had this injury, I realized this could be a fresh start, it’s sort of a clean slate, and it allows me to sort of build up this sense of identity of how I want to be remembered,” he explained. “I want to prove that no matter the situation that you’re in, you’re more than capable of achieving your goals.”

The 24-year-old from Airdrie has also vastly improved his mobility after undergoing surgery in Thailand in 2019 for Epidural Stimulation.

Verita Neuro as described by Straschnitzki is a device attached to his lower back and a battery pack that has 10 electrodes.

It has allowed him to essentially regain the function of the lower extremities in his body, which he didn’t have control over before.

“‘I’m very fortunate enough to have had the surgery done, where now I’m starting to move muscles for my injury starting to get better core function and able to keep my legs healthy. So, in the case that I do walk again, I know I won’t be behind the eight ball.”

Straschnitzki has been playing with the Alberta Para Ice Hockey team and is hoping to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8