CANADA GAMES
at the 2023 North American Indigenous 
Games (NAIG), earning a bronze medal 
in the U17 Division. As a dual-sport 
athlete, Sage also spent the last two 
seasons with the SIJHL’s Sioux Lookout 
Bombers Jr. A Hockey Club. His next 
goal is to enroll in the two-year Police 
and Justice Studies program at Thompson 
Rivers University and play with the Logan 
Lake Miners in the BCIHL. Sage received 
several U.S. college offers, but he declined 
them because none fit his ultimate future 
goal: becoming a police officer.
KIAN POITRAS
Kian Poitras, 19, is a proud member of 
Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation located 
in Treaty 4 territory. Kian is proud to 
have been raised with culture and tradi-
tion, and is of Saulteaux, Nakoda and 
Lakota ancestry. 
In June 2025, Kian was selected to 
represent Team Saskatchewan with 
the U20 men’s fastball team at the 
2025 Canada Summer Games in 
Newfoundland & Labrador. Kian 
was one of four Indigenous players 
to represent Saskatchewan and was 
scouted to play for Team Canada.
In October 2025, Kian made his 
international debut with Team 
Canada at the 2025 Pan American 
Championships with the men’s U18 
fastball team. Kian spent 18 hours trav-
elling from Regina across North and 
South America and arrived in Buenos 
Aires, Argentina, with Team Canada. 
Team Canada prepared to play against 
North and South America’s strongest 
teams, which included Argentina, 
Mexico, Venezuela, Guatemala and 
Peru in Bahía Blanca, Argentina. 
Team Canada defeated Valenzuela in 
the final and brought home bronze. 
Kian was one of two players selected 
from Saskatchewan and one of two 
Indigenous players to represent Team 
Canada. Kian earned the U18 titles 
as the #1 Overall RBI Leader and #2 
Average Leader on his first interna-
tional stage in South America. 
Kian has always been supported in 
sports by his mother, Tara Whitecap, 
and father, Joseph Poitras. He was 
raised in Regina’s North Central neigh-
bourhood, where he completed his 
education, and spent summers on the 
Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation. He 
played competitive hockey and baseball 
at elite levels in his youth. In 2025, his 
final year of minor baseball, he played 
AAA baseball and travelled throughout 
Saskatchewan and the U.S.   
Kian’s family has always rallied 
together to support his journey in 
sports, and he is fortunate to have 
support from his Nation, family, 
friends and sponsors. 
GUNNER SPARVIER 
Gunner Sparvier, 17, is a proud 
member of the Cowessess First 
Nation and an emerging Indigenous 
athlete whose dedication to softball 
has already taken him to some of the 
highest stages in Canadian amateur 
sport. A multi-sport athlete who 
also shines in music, Gunner has 
played in U.S. baseball showcase 
tournaments, competed with the PA 
Astros U17 team to win Saskatchewan 
38  OUR PRIORITY  Issue 1  2025/26

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