Arizona university hockey coach put on admin leave after report on Canadian player Matthew Mayich's collapse

Arizona university hockey coach put on admin leave after report on Canadian player Matthew Mayich's collapse

Hamilton-born NHL prospect still in hospital after suffering issues during Aug. 20 outdoor workout

Arizona State University (ASU) hockey coach Greg Powers has been placed on paid administrative leave after a letter from teammates of NHL prospect Matthew Mayich disputed aspects of the school's review into the Canadian player's collapse during a team workout last month.

ASU athletics director Graham Rossini said in a news release Wednesday that "our focus continues to be on Matthew and his family and on our student athletes to make sure they have the support they need during this time and as the season begins.”

“We have continued to collect as much information as possible. After thorough and careful deliberation, I believe this is the best move to provide stability for the hockey program,” Rossini said about the coach being place on leave.

Matthew Mayich's Arizona teammates dispute school report on workout before Hamilton NHL prospect's collapse

In the review released last week, ASU official James Rund wrote that Hamilton-born Mayich, 21, collapsed just before 8:30 a.m. during Aug. 20 training at Sun Angel Stadium on ASU’s Tempe campus. It also determined school hockey coaches didn't submit a plan for review by trainers before the training session.

Mayich remains in hospital in critical condition.

Hockey coaches didn't submit training plan before Matthew Mayich collapsed in workout: Arizona university

ASU assistant hockey coach Mike Corbett will lead the team as the season opens this weekend and an interim head coach will be named soon, the release Wednesday said.

Hockey conference supports ASU's decision

ASU's move regarding Powers comes after seven members of the hockey team, in the anonymous letter sent to the university's president through their lawyer, called for the team's coaching staff to be placed on leave pending an independent investigation.

The players' letter alleges Mayich "received no water" during the outdoor workout on a hot day and said that, to "our knowledge, no one involved has been placed on leave, suspended or disciplined. The head coach who selected the instructor and scheduled the session continues to lead our program."

ASU is one of 10 teams in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), a men's Division 1 conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The NCHC said in a statement that it supports ASU's decision to place Powers on leave while the circumstances surrounding Mayich's "trauma" are examined.

It said concerns raised by the student athletes "deserve to be heard and thoroughly reviewed. We will not prejudge the findings of that review."

The NCHC will stay in contact with ASU about the review and the steps being taken to protect and support student athletes, the statement said.

Brittany Spencer is a multi-platform reporter and producer based in Hamilton. She's previously worked with CBC in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick covering politics, health care and the justice system. She's a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University's journalism program and joined CBC in 2017. You can reach her at brittany.spencer@cbc.ca.