ASU report details lapses before Hamilton hockey player Matthew Mayich collapsed during workout

Floyd Brenz., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 23, 2026

Photo Courtesy: CBC News

A new review by Arizona State University has detailed what happened before Hamilton hockey player Matthew Mayich collapsed during a team workout last month, including a failure to submit a training plan for administrative review.

Mayich, 21, was hospitalized after collapsing during an outdoor ASU hockey workout at Sun Angel Stadium on August 20. The university said he had been medically cleared to participate after arriving in Arizona from Canada eight days earlier.

According to the review, the workout ran from about 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., with temperatures ranging from 86 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit. The activities included calisthenics, bodyweight exercises and running. Near the end, players were instructed to complete a wind-down exercise involving running while carrying a medicine ball.

Mayich was among the later groups to complete the exercise. The report says he appeared to struggle while running, stumbled and fell. He tried to get back up but fell again. An athletic trainer then treated him with iced towels and water and called 911 as his condition deteriorated.

The university review found that the hockey coaching staff had requested permission for an outside consultant to speak to the team but did not submit a plan of training activities to ASU’s strength and conditioning coaches before the event. The report also says ASU is reviewing its practices for outdoor athletic activities and emergency responses.

ASU said 20 people have been interviewed as part of the university review or police investigation. The university also plans to establish a multidisciplinary advisory panel to recommend changes involving outdoor training, staffing, monitoring, emergency response and the use of outside consultants.

The ASU Police Department is conducting a separate investigation, with its findings expected to be provided to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for independent review. The university said its administrative review is continuing and did not assign blame in its initial report.

Mayich remains hospitalized. His family’s lawyer has separately criticized the university’s handling of the workout and alleged that safety protocols were not followed; those allegations have not been independently established by the university’s initial review.