Matthew Mayich: Everything you need to know about Sun Devil hockey player who collapsed during workout

Matthew Mayich playing for Clarkson during the 2025-26 season. Courtesy: Getty Images

Sun Devil hockey opens the season at Lindenwood University on Friday, October 2nd, but as the summer winds down, the program is in headlines across the hockey world for a very sobering reason.

Reports started swirling on August 23rd about an incident taking place on the first day of practice three days prior in which a Sun Devil hockey player collapsed during the morning workout session and was transported to a local hospital for what was believed to be a "heat-related incident".

Over the next couple days, little new reports came due to player privacy rules, but it was confirmed that the player was one of the incoming transfers. Then, on August 25th, the player was revealed to be sophomore defenseman Matthew Mayich.

In a sharp turn from prior reporting, the reveal of Mayich came with the news that he suffered a "cardiac event" and was in a coma following his admission.

An outpouring of prayer and support from across the hockey world came following a candlelight vigil and virtual prayer service hosted by the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce early last week. As the week progressed, more details started to surface surrounding the workout itself.

Mike McMahon of College Hockey News reported that a source confirmed that the workout was a "military-style" exercise, in which players were expected to perform various calisthenics such as flutter kicks and push-ups, as well as track running exercises. Katie Strang of The Athletic corroborated this report, with distinctions from McMahon regarding the overall intensity of the workout.

As these reports were coming to light, Athletic Director Graham Rossini confirmed that the university would be conducting a review of the incident.

An incredibly difficult and delicate scenario for all parties involved, not all are satisfied with steps taken to this point. Rob Carey, former deputy attorney general of Arizona and the attorney representing the Mayich family, made clear his displeasure with how the review has been handled by the university.

Known for his representation of former ASU quarterback Sam Keller in the landmark O'Bannon v. NCAA case, Carey pushed back on comments made by Buddy Rake, attorney for former Green Beret Tim Zeisel, who led the workout; Carey suggested that Rake's comments do not account for the truly grueling nature of the workout and what was expected of the players. Zeisel himself has not been reached for public comment for his role in the workout.

Additional comments from Carey have come to light to the Arizona Republic, alleging a narrative pushed by the university about the intensity of the workout being “minimal” as well as “soft and easy”. Carey stated that his investigation has shown that Mayich was disoriented and in obvious distress and was unable to complete the tasks as the workout progressed.

Carey further called out the university for failing to sequester players from the coaching staff that oversaw the workout, and for allowing coaches and team staff to remain in their roles without being placed on administrative leave. University officials have declined to comment on these allegations.

Carey has put forward his conclusion that Mayich has “zero chance of recovery”.

At the time of this writing, Mayich remains in a coma in the hospital, with no further public comment has been made Sun Devil hockey coaches or staff.

We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available. The thoughts and prayers of Echo From The Buttes remain with Matthew, his family, and the Sun Devil hockey program during this trying time.