April 25, 2025/Midnight
Originally published in print April 14, 2025
Erie, Pa.— It is a cold, winter night in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania. The Erie Insurance Arena is nearly sold out as the Otters begin a new season. The atmosphere is loud and electric inside the building. Some fans that couldn’t attend in person can watch from the comfort of their own home. Anyone that turns on the television will be introduced to Shawn Bednard and Trevor Kubeja, the voices of the Erie Otters. While Bednard made his way from Flint, Mi, Kubeja has always been a citizen of Erie. From calling local basketball games to becoming an award–winning sportscaster for WERG, he has made his way up to becoming one of the rising stars in broadcasting. It is all thanks to his Gannon roots, and his love for hockey.
Hockey has always been a big part of Kubeja’s life. Growing up ten minutes from the rink, he spent a lot of time at the Erie Insurance Arena watching his hometown Erie Otters. He also played hockey when he was younger. Kubeja has always been fascinated with broadcasting.
Sitting in the booth talking about sports was always his dream. He experienced this for the first time in 2020, calling a Lake Erie BigHorns hockey game. When Kubeja chose Gannon University, he wanted to get involved right away with 90.5 WERG.
“[WERG is] why I chose Gannon,” he said. “It was my first opportunity to get on air and get my voice out there.”
Kubeja became a household name at WERG, hosting the show “Prime Time Sports Guys” and eventually becoming general manager of the station. During his show, he invited multiple sports industry people to appear on the show. Madeline Emerson, a junior at Gannon and current general manager of WERG, met Trevor when she was a freshman. They worked alongside each other during sophomore year. She is thankful for Kubeja’s leadership and determination for the station.
She says, “His talent has won us multiple national awards, even after he was graduated.”
Among winning multiple awards during his time at Gannon, Kubeja is still bringing hardware to his alma mater. According to Gannon’s website, he won an award for “Best Sports Play–By–Play (Men’s Basketball)” for one of his broadcasts.
“I think WERG is beyond lucky to have the talents of Trevor Kubeja for four years!” says Madeline.
Kubeja was thankful for being mentored by WERG operations manager Chet LaPrice, who gave him the opportunity. Erik Konwinski was also a role model for Kubeja. He was the Sports Director at WERG until his graduation in 2022. Another key contributor to his journey is Gannon Athletic Director Bob Shreve, who allowed him to call local basketball games. Kubeja would not be where he is today without Gannon.
“The athletic department was very gracious to me,” says Kubeja.
During his sophomore year in 2021–22, Kubeja earned media credentials for the Otters. He was tasked with attending the games while providing a recap on his show.
He says, “As a broke college student, I saw this opportunity to watch hockey games for free. All I had to do was talk for ten minutes about the game.”
He would meet Otters broadcaster Shawn Bednard, who would become Kubeja’s biggest influence. Bednard would offer him an internship for the 2022–23 season while he was a junior at Gannon. Kubeja would call his first ever regular season Otters game on March 25th, 2023, for the season finale at home.
Bednard was immediately impressed by Kubeja’s voice alongwith his knowledge and understanding.
“Trevor showcases so many of the signs of a raw talent and a polished professional that give him a voice and skill years beyond his senior,” says Bednard.
He acknowledges how much he has accomplished at a young age and how consistent he is in the booth.
“He’s become a true Swiss Army knife in play–by–play, color commentary, analysis, hosting, interviewing, and generally as a media producer” says Bednard.
Before he goes on air, Kubeja is hard at work preparing game notes for media partners while doing his research.
“I am very blessed to have a computer for a brain where I remember anything and everything,” he says.
As a longtime fan, he feels it is exciting to know the people behind the name.
Another person who Kubeja deeply appreciated is the Otters late owner Jim Waters. Described as “the best person,” Waters and him would talk for hours, especially about radio. Waters was the chairman of CHUM Limited radio division broadcasting across Canada per CHL.com.
Kubeja says, “[Jim] has been a great supporter of me and the passion I have… The advice he could give me was so special and I really miss our conversations.”
Kubeja became the full–time color commentator for Otters home games starting during the 2023–24 regular season. He also had five opportunities to call play–by–play. Once the playoffs came around, Bednard became sick giving Kubeja an opportunity to be the voice of Erie’s playoff games. He says that this helped his case to be brought back. A few weeks after graduating last May, Kubeja received a call to tell him he would be named a full–time broadcaster.
A year later, Kubeja will be gearing up for another playoff run. He is hard working, determined, creative, and has love for the game. He is truly one of the rising stars in broadcasting and one with an incredibly bright future. Bednard doesn’t know what Kubeja’s career path will be, but he is rooting hard for him. “He has so much of the DNA of someone who can make it to the top levels in this industry,” he said.
Kubeja started as an Otters fan going to hockey games while learning about the sport. A decade later, he is an up–and–coming broadcaster living his dream while teaching and informing others.
He recommends anyone interested in broadcast and journalism to make connections, get experience, and get to know people. The Otters begin their playoff campaign on Thursday,
March 27th starting on the road against the Saginaw Spirit. Bednard and Kubeja will be on broadcast on CHL TV and WJET AM 1400 radio.
