ASU hockey player Matthew Mayich has no chance of recovery after heatstroke, attorney says

"His body ceased functioning in a fundamental way, and this condition is irreversible," Robert Carey said.

BY KYLIE WERNER/KTAR

Sep 2, 2026, 8:36 AM

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 29: Matthew Mayich celebrates after being selected 170th overall pick b...

Matthew Mayich celebrates after being selected 170th overall pick by the St. Louis Blues during the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena on June 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

An attorney for the family of Matthew Mayich said the hospitalized Arizona State University hockey player has no chance for recovery.

Robert Carey of the law firm Hagens Berman said Mayich’s condition should not be considered a coma.

“A coma indicates deep unconsciousness and recovery is possible. His body ceased functioning in a fundamental way, and this condition is irreversible,” Carey said Wednesday in an email to KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Mayich, who was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL draft, has been hospitalized since collapsing during an Aug. 20 outdoor workout. Mayich transferred to Arizona State this past offseason after spending his freshman season collegiately playing at Clarkson University in New York.

Matthew Mayich collapsed during military-style workout, attorney says

Leonard Aragon, another attorney representing Mayich’s family, told KTAR News on Tuesday that Mayich flew in from Ottawa, Canada, less than a week before his first practice in Arizona’s heat, which he claims was led by a former Green beret who pushed the athletes to their limit and beyond with a military-style workout. He also alleged that the student-athletes would be punished for stopping or drinking water.

“He didn’t have a chance to get acclimated. He wanted to make a good impression for his teammates, for his coaches, for himself on his new team,” Aragon said. “And eventually, Matthew apparently suffered heatstroke and passed out and the ambulance was called, and now he’s … at Barrows St. Joe’s and receiving phenomenal care, but he’s there in critical condition. … Unfortunately, the prognosis is not good.”

The university acknowledged in a statement that a third party who had previously worked with the ASU hockey team was present at the practice, along with coaches and training staff.

“We are reviewing it; this is not an investigation,” ASU athletic director Graham Rossini told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Friday. “So, we’re collecting information. And if there’s things that we need to identify and learn from we’re going to do that, but this is not an investigation where somebody’s suggesting something went wrong. We’re just reviewing the facts and understanding the scenario.”

Senior Vice President James Rund is conducting the review of the workout as well as the related university policies, procedures and protocols, according to ASU.

“The review will take the time needed to collect and assess information in a manner that is thoughtful, respectful of the student-athlete, his family, his teammates and ASU’s privacy obligations,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “While the review is ongoing, Coach [Greg] Powers and other SDA [Sun Devil Athletics] and university staff will continue to provide support and resources to the hockey student-athletes and to share information with them in a manner that respects the privacy of the student-athlete and his family.”

Matthew Mayich’s family wants ASU to take more action

However, Aragon and Mayich’s family want ASU to authorize an independent investigation into the incident to ensure they get answers on why this happened.

“Healthy elite student-athletes shouldn’t pass out on fields and get heat stroke,” Aragon said. “We want the university to admit that they made a mistake and then make sure that it never happens again to anyone, not just hockey players, not just student-athletes, but anyone affiliated with the university system.”

The university indicated that it has institutional guidelines and requirements for outside entities who interact with its student-athletes and sport programs. It added that Sun Devil Athletics also has heat-illness guidelines in place that are based on the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.

“SDA student-athletes regularly practice and train outside, under coach and trainer supervision,” the ASU spokesperson said.

Aragon emphasized that accountability from the university would also include policies being put in place that ensure what happened to Mayich never happens again, not just at ASU but at all state universities and community colleges.

“Where you have water breaks, where you have staff on the field monitoring the student-athletes, and if something appears to be problematic, you go out there and you figure out what’s wrong,” Aragon said. “Where we don’t practice on the very first day in incredibly hot environments with humidity, something even us native Arizonans aren’t able to deal with very well. Where we have students … become acclimated to the climate.”

Aragon said a lawsuit may be filed in the future, but for now he and Carey are conducting interviews and collecting the facts of the case.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kevin Stone and Kellen Shover contributed to this report.