MOOSE JAW — A hockey-loving teenager is encouraging his peers to participate in a national jersey design contest to not only receive acclaim but also to support a food-focused children’s charity.
Then-13-year-old Phoenix Kivel was shopping at Superstore last fall when he saw a sign — a cardboard cutout of a Moose Jaw Warrior player — promoting a contest that the grocery store was holding with the Canadian Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.
The contest encouraged young hockey fans to submit a unique design or logo that their hometown teams could wear during a game, with those uniforms then auctioned off to support President’s Choice (PC) Children’s Charity Power Full Kids.
“I was like, ‘That would be kind of cool.’ So I told my mom, and I was like, ‘Hey mom, can I enter this contest?’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, sure,’” Kivel recalled recently. “So we went home and I got on the Photoshop and started working on it.”
It took the then-Grade 8 student slightly more than an hour to create a design that the team could incorporate into its uniforms. Kivel’s artful conception featured a traditional Warriors’ design but with three white planes streaking diagonally upward from left to right, with the upper half of the jersey red and the lower half black.
It was several weeks later when the then-Sunningdale School student learned that his design had been selected.
“(It was) pretty cool. I sent them back an email asking if I could tell people. And … I was super happy,” Kivel said. “It was a cool jersey, so I was confident because confidence helps produce things.
“It was just, ‘Holy crap, I have a jersey that the Moose Jaw Warriors are going to wear,’” he continued. “It was just a cool experience.”
Winning the logo design contest meant the hockey-loving youth received an unforgettable VIP experience during a Warriors’ game against the Saskatoon Blades in March, which included dropping the puck at centre ice.
“That was crazy … . You’re walking on the red carpet (to centre ice) and saw all the guys on the bench (and) they’re all giving you fist bumps,” Kivel recalled.
“(We) actually billet two Moose Jaw Warriors, so they were punching me in the shoulder. And all the guys were telling me how cool the jersey was. It was just an insane experience.”
The now-Grade 9 student at Central Collegiate thought it was a great feeling to see the players wear his jersey design, while it was also overwhelming to know that thousands of people were seeing his artistic efforts.
The jersey design contest raised $601,587 across Canada last season, with $12,400 being split among three schools in Moose Jaw: St. Agnes, St. Mary and Sacred Heart.
Kivel, 14, said it was a good feeling to know that his design contributed to this food security program, considering some fans may have given more money to acquire a jersey.
Meanwhile, he encouraged other youths to participate in the contest this year, and even if they don’t win, it’s still a great experience since they can be creative with their projects.
“The project is fun itself, not just the end result,” he said. “(Also, the charity is) very important. You’re helping out a children’s charity. You’re not profiting, but the world is.
“It’s an awesome experience. And if you’re thinking about doing it, just go for it,” Kivel added. “It doesn’t matter if you win; just have fun.”
Visit for more information. This season's contest is expected to open soon.
