The ongoing saga of Matthew Mayich’s collapse now has a new player. The Arizona State University police department is opening an investigation, according to a report from The Athletic. Mayich, 21, is a St. Louis Blues prospect.
The sophomore defenseman joined the Arizona State Sun Devils in the transfer portal at the conclusion of last season. Now a sophomore, Mayich is entering his first year in Tempe after spending his freshman season at Clarkson University.
His hockey days are likely over following an official team-conducted preseason workout on August 20. His family’s lawyer, Rob Carey, said Mayich will never recover.
A native of Stoney Creek, Ontario, Mayich played for Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York last season. Potsdam is just south of Ottawa and northwest of Lake Placid.
The Blues drafted Mayich at 170th overall in 2023. The St. Louis Blues prospect attended development camps with the organization in 2023 and 2024.
Matthew Mayich’s Collapse Opens Numerous Questions
At the moment, there are numerous unknowns in the Mayich story. According to The Athletic, law enforcement is assessing “whether any criminal acts occurred.” This investigation, reportedly, is separate from the university’s ongoing review process of the events that led to Matthew Mayich’s collapse.
The preseason training session on August 20 is the earliest allowed for ice hockey by NCAA rules. A non-university employee led the training.
The Athletic reported that the hour-long workout consisted of sprints, planks, push-ups and bear crawls, with participants also verbally engaged in the exercise’s instructions and count. Tim Ziesel, a non-university employee, conducted the workout. USA Today reports the Arizona State hockey player collapsed during what’s being described as a ‘military-style’ workout on the Arizona State campus.
Crews with the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue responded to the track at Arizona State’s facilities on August 20 around 8:30 a.m. locally. Reports indicate that temperatures were at least 87 degrees at the time of the workout that led to Matthew Mayich’s collapse.
Arizona State executive vice president James Rund is leading the university’s review. He serves as an associate professor in the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation. He’s also the Senior Vice President for Educational Outreach and Student Services.
Lawyer Labels the Incident as EHS
Carey described the events of August 20 leading to Matthew Mayich’s collapse as “exertional heat stroke.”
The Korey Stringer Institute, named for the former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman who died from heat stroke during the Vikings’ 2001 training camp, lists multiple factors tied to exertional heat stroke (EHS). Those factors can include:
- Inadequate heat acclimatization
- Lack of sleep
- Intense or prolonged exercise with minimal breaks
- High temperature, humidity and/or sun exposure
- Inappropriate work/rest ratios
- Peer or organizational pressure
- Delay in recognition of signs and symptoms
The Korey String Institute notes numerous other factors are tied to EHS.
Carey told reporters he believed the exercise was ‘grueling, onerous and dangerous.’ He has simultaneously accused Arizona State of ‘pushing a false narrative’ about the workout that day.
Matthew Mayich is hospitalized at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, according to The Arizona Republic.
Carey told The Athletic that the family needed a “miracle.”
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