College hockey is in the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons. Matthew Mayich, a 21-year-old defenceman on the Arizona State hockey team and a 2023 St. Louis Blues draft pick, collapsed during an outdoor workout on Thursday morning and is still in the hospital. School officials say they’re now looking closely at exactly what happened in the lead-up to that session.
| Athlete | Matthew Mayich, 21, ASU hockey defenceman |
| NHL rights | St. Louis Blues, 2023 sixth-round pick (170th overall) |
| Incident | Collapsed during an outdoor workout Thursday morning |
| Responders | Tempe Fire Medical Rescue, 8:31 a.m., Sun Angel Stadium address |
| Reported cause | Heat-related illness per Tempe Fire |
| Status | Hospitalized; ASU reviewing the workout |
What we know so far
Emergency crews were called to 400 South Rural Road — the address for Sun Angel Stadium, an outdoor track-and-field facility on ASU’s campus in Tempe — at 8:31 a.m. Thursday after receiving a report of a heat-related illness, according to the Tempe Fire Department. A patient was treated at the scene and taken to a nearby hospital.
In a statement, Arizona State vice president for media relations Chris Fiscus confirmed the details while protecting the student’s privacy. “A student-athlete who collapsed during an outdoor exercise Thursday morning remains hospitalized,” Fiscus said. “The student-athlete, a member of the ASU hockey team, is not being named by the university because of privacy interests. The university is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the workout.”
Fiscus did not confirm whether the workout itself was officially sanctioned by the ASU hockey program.
Who Matthew Mayich is
Mayich spent four seasons with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s before heading to college, then played a solid freshman year at Clarkson University in 2025-26 — seven goals and 15 points in 34 games. He announced at the end of that season that he would transfer to Arizona State for the 2026-27 campaign.
The Blues picked him in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, but he has not signed an entry-level contract with St. Louis. The Blues have since issued a statement on the 21-year-old’s condition, part of a developing story that the franchise and the school are both tracking closely.
For context on how quickly young athletic stars rise — and the pressures that come with it — our piece on Cam Hazzard’s rise through the college dunk scene is worth a read.
The heat factor
The timing is striking. Arizona State students returned to campus for the new school year last week, and the valley was under a first-alert heat warning as temperatures climbed into dangerous triple digits. The collapse happened during that stretch, a reminder of how quickly extreme desert heat can turn a routine workout into a medical emergency.
It’s why the university’s review of the workout is so important — and why so much of the hockey world is waiting on updates as Mayich recovers. Decisions about summer schedules, outdoor sessions and hydration protocols could change across college sports because of what happened on that track.
Watch: What the videos show
ASU hockey player hospitalized after outdoor workout: What happened?
- Local station Arizona’s Family reports students returned to campus last week and the valley was under a first-alert heat warning with temperatures in dangerous triple digits.
- Per ASU, Thursday morning an athlete on the university hockey team collapsed during an outdoor workout.
ASU student-athlete collapses, remains hospitalized
- 12 News confirms the ASU hockey player was in the hospital after collapsing during an outdoor exercise Thursday morning.
- Tempe Fire received the call at an outdoor track-and-field facility on campus for a heat-related illness, with no word yet on what sort of workout preceded it.
What happens next
Right now there’s no timeline on when Mayich will be released from the hospital, and the school’s review could take days or weeks. What’s clear is that this wasn’t an ordinary summer workout — and both Arizona State and the St. Louis Blues are treating it that way.
Across the sports world, the collapse is already prompting questions about how college programs handle morning sessions in extreme heat. Meanwhile, in the NHL, roster decisions are moving forward — as with the standoff around Joey Porter Jr.’s contract impasse and other off-season storylines covered here recently.
Sources: Sportsnet, The Athletic, New York Post, Tempe Fire Department
