Arizona State Hockey Coach Placed on Leave Amid Investigation into Player's Coma

Arizona State head coach Greg Powers has been placed on paid administrative leave as the university investigates the circumstances surrounding a military-style workout that resulted in a player falling into a coma.

Matthew Mayich, a 21-year-old player for the Sun Devils, has been in a coma since late August after collapsing during an outdoor training session. The incident occurred due to heat stroke amid temperatures in the mid-to-high 80s in the Phoenix/Tempe area. The workout, described as "both atypical and extreme" by The Athletic, lasted approximately one hour.

Arizona State University Police have initiated an investigation into the incident. The university released its own initial report earlier this week, which did not assign blame for the intense workouts. However, Mayich is not expected to make a full recovery, according to his family's attorney.

Seven Sun Devils hockey players sent an anonymous letter to the school president calling for the coaching staff to be placed on administrative leave. They also disputed some details in ASU's initial report, expressing fear of retaliation from the coaching staff.

"We are submitting this report anonymously because we fear retaliation from the coaching staff," the letter stated. "That fear is not directed at one person. The head coach and his assistant coaches were all on the field on August 20, all remain in their positions, and together they decide our playing time, scholarship levels, and roster status."

Mayich's parents, John and Christina, echoed these concerns through their attorney, Rob Carey. "The coaches who ran that workout on August 20 need to be removed while an independent investigation gets to the truth," the Mayichs wrote in an open letter. "The players shouldn't have to worry about retaliation from the people they report to every day."

Mayich, an Ontario native drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2023, suffered exertional heat stroke, leading to a lack of oxygen to his brain. Carey has attributed the medical emergency to the military-style workouts arranged by a former U.S. special forces service member, Tim Ziesel.

The university's timeline indicated that the coaching staff had requested permission for Ziesel to speak with players but did not submit his proposed training activities for review by strength and conditioning coaches. Ziesel, who did not have a contract for the three-day exercise, had left the campus before Mayich collapsed. He has declined to comment on the workout, stating he "didn't know the whole situation."

Players reportedly underwent grueling exercises including sprints, planks, push-ups, and bear crawls, with an emphasis on repeating instructions and maintaining correct counts. According to reports, players who failed to meet these demands or lagged behind were subjected to additional sprints or exercises, and were allegedly told not to complain. The final activity involved a run with a medicine ball, which the instructor reportedly left before completion.

Although Mayich had passed a physical exam clearing him for workouts, he appeared disoriented during the session. The timeline reports he stumbled and fell while carrying a medicine ball. Tempe Fire Medical Rescue was called to the scene shortly after the workout concluded.

Powers had previously commented on the team's performance, telling 247Sports in May that the Sun Devils' struggles last season were due to being too "soft." He was introduced to Ziesel by an Arizona State hockey supporter, which led to the team-building exercises.

Powers reportedly instructed Ziesel to implement a water break 20 minutes into the workout. However, it remains unclear how many players were able to hydrate, as sources told The Athletic that those who were late finishing exercises were required to perform extra repetitions, preventing them from taking breaks. "I know that water break didn't include the people who were late in the exercise, which are the people that need it the most," Carey stated.

While the university police are investigating, Carey has called for the case to be transferred to the Phoenix Police Department, expressing doubt about ASU's commitment to uncovering the truth.

Assistant coach Mike Corbett has been placed in charge of the team for Friday's season opener. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) has issued a statement supporting the decision to review the concerns raised by student-athletes, emphasizing that "the well-being of our student-athletes matters more."