ASU hockey player Matthew Mayich in coma after collapsing during team workout
Arizona State University hockey player, Matthew Mayich, remains in critical condition following an outdoor practice on Aug. 20, 2026.
TEMPE, Ariz. - An Arizona State University hockey player remains in a coma at an Arizona hospital after collapsing during his first official practice as a member of the team.
What we know:
Matthew Mayich, 21, collapsed during an outdoor workout on the morning of Aug. 20. Both campus police and the university itself are looking into the situation.
The workout occurred at Sun Angel Stadium on the university campus. The emergency call came out at 8:31 a.m. The temperature was in the mid-80s at the time, with 51% humidity. By the time Mayich arrived at the hospital, he was in critical condition and in a coma, where he remains.
The St. Louis Blues drafted Mayich in 2023, but he made a pit stop before entering the professional ranks to join the college hockey team at Arizona State University.
In a video posted by the St. Louis Blues, Mayich was asked, "You can’t take that smile off your face, can you?" to which he replied, "No, it’s an amazing moment."
Mayich is currently hospitalized in Arizona, with his family by his side.
What they're saying:
Rob Carey, an attorney representing the Mayich family, said the family appreciates the local support.
"Appreciate Matthew‘s family, they’re here," Carey said. "They don’t know anything about Arizona. They’re down at a hotel walking across to the hospital every day, and they really appreciate all of the outpouring of support and love. They’ve received it. It helps them."
Carey stated that the workout where Mayich collapsed was the first official practice of the season, as allowed under NCAA rules. The session was a rigorous routine led by a former Green Beret, similar to activities shown in a U.S. Army video posted to YouTube, complete with sprints, pushups, and other strenuous activities.
According to Carey, if players fell behind during the routine, they received more work and less water.
"There was no rest," Carey said. "The rest was an exertion position, a plank, and the water was one time for 15 seconds, so if you’re lagging, you got no water."
Dig deeper:
The former Green Beret leading the workout was identified as Tim Ziesel. A photo provided by Ziesel's attorney shows Ziesel in front of the hockey team during the workout in question.
Ziesel's attorney stated by phone that the workout followed NCAA and university athletic rules. The defense attorney maintained that the session was not overly rigorous, included no timed events, and involved no denial of water at any time.
Ziesel's attorney characterized the session mostly as a team-building exercise and noted that Ziesel was present as a volunteer who left the practice before Mayich collapsed.
Addressing the leadership of the session, Carey emphasized, "The coaches did all this. The players did nothing wrong."
What's next:
Carey is requesting that the entire hockey coaching staff be suspended and a full investigation. He insists that Mayich, a young man from Canada who was not acclimated to the desert heat, is in a coma due to heat-related overexertion.
"A 21-year-old elite professionally drafted athlete went onto the field that morning, and he left incapacitated with almost no chance to recover. Obviously something went wrong," Carey said.
Campus police did not respond to requests for comment. However, the university released a statement addressing the incident.
'The review is ongoing’
Arizona State University released a statement on Sept. 1, saying, in full, "A student-athlete who collapsed during an outdoor workout on Aug. 20 remains hospitalized. The student-athlete, a member of the ASU Hockey team, is not being named by the university because of privacy interests.
The morning outdoor workout was a team event at which coaches and training staff were present along with a third party who had previously worked with the ASU Hockey team. ASU has institutional guidelines and requirements relating to the engagement of outside entities who interact with ASU student-athletes and sport programs.
Sun Devil Athletics also has heat-illness guidelines in place; these guidelines are informed by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. SDA student-athletes regularly practice and train outside, under coach and trainer supervision.
ASU is reviewing all the circumstances surrounding the workout and the related university policies, procedures and training protocols. James Rund, senior vice president, is leading the review.
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. While the review is ongoing, Coach Powers and other SDA 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."