Everything Devils fans need to know about the tragic situaiton at Arizona State

It's been a tough few weeks within the college hockey community. Matthew Mayich, a St. Louis Blues prospect who transferred to Arizona State University earlier this year, is continuing to fight for his life.

During what has been reported as a "military-style" workout on August 20, Mayich collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital but remains in a coma, and his lawyer, Robert Carey, states that he has "no chance of recovery". Greg Powers is the current head coach of the Arizona State hockey team, but Tim Ziesel, a former U.S. Army Green Beret who was not employed by the school, was tasked with "coaching" that morning. A heat advisory was in effect that day, even though the workout took place in the morning.

The family and hockey community continue to wait and hope for a miracle. There were a lot of questions surrounding the situation: What does the recovery process look like for Mayich if he pulls through? Was the team granted water breaks? Why was the first practice that intense? Will Greg Powers be fired?

Unfortunately, nobody has all the answers. Multiple reporters and news outlets have done a good job covering the story, trying to piece everything together. Matthew and his entire family continue to receive immense support from the hockey community. Leonard Aragon, who is working alongside the Mayich family's attorney at Hagens Berman Law Firm, recently stated:

"We want answers. We want more information about how this non-employee of the university was able to come out there and run these young men through a workout designed for elite special forces professionals, and why this happened. After that, we want accountability. If it is found that people were negligent, we want accountability by the university."

Leonard Aragon, courtesy Cronkite News

What's Next?

Another big question that people have is what happens to the players if the Sun Devils' season gets cancelled. Pucks and Pitchforks reached out to Mike McMahon (College Hockey News) and stated that "there is a special window that opens for coaching changes. It opens five days after a new coach is hired, or 31 days after a coach is fired/resigns. Whichever comes first. The window for coaching changes closes on January 2."

Nobody knows what's going to happen to the Sun Devils this season. The health and safety of Mayich is the top priority for everyone watching this situation.

Ben Kevan, a New Jersey Devils prospect who was drafted last summer, is on the roster. It was confirmed that the players have returned to practice, and the coaching staff is out recruiting in different states. They have yet to address the situation other than sending a social media post talking about keeping Mayich in their thoughts and prayers.

Whether Powers is fired or not will continue to be a topic of debate. Some players would be eligible to return to their respective WHL team, but Kevan didn't play in the Canadian Hockey League. It could be possible that Kevan could transfer once given the chance; however, there's no certainty if a team would even accept him after a slow freshman season with the Sun Devils.

If enough players do decide to leave this season and the Sun Devils are unable to roster a team, then their season could be cancelled. It doesn't guarantee that Powers and his staff would lose their jobs. Kevan has been publicly supporting his teammate via Instagram.

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