ASU reviews conditioning session after hockey player's collapse
Arizona State University is investigating an outdoor team workout that left hockey defenseman Matthew Mayich hospitalized. Mayich, a St. Louis Blues draft pick, remained in the hospital as of Tuesday. The exercise occurred during an extreme heat warning in the Phoenix area.
The incident occurred on the first day of ASU's fall semester, a period when NCAA rules permit hockey teams to begin formal activities. Tempe Fire Medical Rescue responded to Sun Angel Stadium at 8:31 a.m. Thursday for a reported heat-related illness, treating the patient on-site before transport to a hospital. The Phoenix area was under an extreme heat warning all week, with temperatures reaching 106 degrees that afternoon.
Mayich, selected by St. Louis in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, attended two Blues prospect camps without signing an entry-level contract. He completed four seasons with the OHL's Ottawa 67s, spent 2025-26 at Clarkson University, and transferred to ASU in March ahead of his sophomore season with the Sun Devils. University officials have not confirmed whether the workout was team-sanctioned.
This incident could prompt broader scrutiny of conditioning protocols across college athletics, particularly in regions prone to extreme heat. Other programs may review their own outdoor workout policies and emergency response procedures. The case may also influence how universities balance early-season training demands with student-athlete safety, potentially leading to revised guidelines for heat-related precautions. Families of athletes and recruits could become more attentive to institutional safety practices, while the NHL and its teams may examine how draft prospects are conditioned at the collegiate level.