Blues prospect collapsed during ‘military-style workout’ at ASU
More details have come out regarding a scary incident in the desert.
According to Katie Strang and Adam Kilgore of The Athletic, St. Louis Blues prospect and Arizona State University defenseman Matthew Mayich collapsed during an offseason workout last Thursday, sending him to the hospital.
Per the report, the Sun Devils hockey team was participating in a “military-style” workout outdoors at Sun Angel Stadium on Aug. 20. The workout lasted close to 60 minutes, with people connected to the team describing the activity as extreme. The instructor for the workout was Tim Zeisel, a non-ASU employee and former military service member, who was first identified by The Arizona Republic.
Mayich reportedly collapsed in the morning, with the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue reporting to the stadium at 8:31 a.m. MT due to a “heat-related illness.” According to Weather Underground’s weather history, the temperature was 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit when first responders were called to the scene. Arizona State quickly took action, launching an investigation. When speaking to the media on Thursday, university spokesperson Chris Fiscus explained that the athletic department has heat illness guidelines, with ASU being informed by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, as well as “institutional guidelines and requirements relating to the engagement of outside entities that interact with student-athletes.”
The workout took place on the first day of the fall semester, the earliest that hockey teams are allowed to participate in formal activities. Per The Athletic, Mayich is still hospitalized and remains in critical condition.
The incident has led many to criticize head coach Greg Powers. The Indianapolis native has been the program’s head coach since the 2010-11 season, when the team was still a club program in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. He was a key figure in helping the Sun Devils reach varsity status, making the team an NCAA D-I program in the fall of 2015. However, the team has had limited success, only qualifying for the NCAA Tournament once and finishing last in the NCHC this past year.
