What was supposed to be the beginning of a new chapter for Matthew Mayich has turned into a devastating situation that has shaken the hockey community.

The 21-year-old defenseman, a sixth-round selection of the St. Louis Blues in the 2023 NHL Draft, remains hospitalized and incapacitated after collapsing during an outdoor Arizona State University hockey workout on August 20.

Nearly two weeks later, the update from the attorney representing Mayich’s family could hardly be more heartbreaking.

Family attorney Rob Carey told College Hockey News that Mayich has “no real chance of recovering.”

Carey also spoke with The Associated Press, confirming that Mayich’s family remains by his side as support continues to pour in from teammates and people throughout the hockey community.

“He is 21 years old,” Carey told the AP.

Carey said the family is grateful for the support it has received from Mayich’s teammates and the hockey world.

For a player who had spent years working toward an opportunity in professional hockey, the circumstances are almost impossible to comprehend.

Mayich, a native of Stoney Creek, Ontario, played four seasons with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League before moving to the NCAA.

Last season at Clarkson University, the 6-foot-2, left-shot defenseman recorded seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 34 games. He transferred to Arizona State this offseason and was preparing for his first season with the Sun Devils.

He never got the opportunity to play a game for ASU.

According to reports, Mayich collapsed during an outdoor conditioning session on August 20, the first day of the fall semester and the earliest date NCAA rules allowed the hockey program to begin formal activities.

Tempe Fire Medical Rescue responded that morning to what was described as a heat-related medical emergency.

The exact circumstances surrounding that workout have since become a major point of dispute.

Carey has described the session as “onerous” and “grueling” and alleges that Mayich was showing signs of distress before he collapsed.

He has also questioned whether the workout was appropriate considering the Arizona heat and the fact that players had only recently returned to the area.

Arizona State has not accepted those allegations as established fact and has said it is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.

ASU athletic director Graham Rossini previously emphasized that the university was conducting a review rather than treating the matter as an investigation into wrongdoing.

“We’re just reviewing the facts and understanding the scenario,” Rossini said during a radio appearance.

That distinction has become one of the biggest points of contention.

Carey is calling for an independent investigation and wants those involved placed on administrative leave while the circumstances are examined.

The family’s attorney wants answers to several critical questions: Who authorized the workout? What exactly were players expected to do? What safeguards were in place? And were warning signs missed before Mayich collapsed?

There is also disagreement over exactly how difficult the workout was.

Tim Ziesel, the third party who helped run the session, has disputed portrayals of it as an extreme military-style workout.

Through his attorney, Ziesel has maintained that coaches and medical personnel were present and that the session was not comparable to the type of workout associated with Green Beret or Navy SEAL training.

That leaves dramatically different descriptions of what happened on the morning of August 20 — and a growing list of unanswered questions.

How intense was the workout?

How much water and recovery time were players provided?

When did Mayich first begin showing signs of trouble?

Were the outdoor conditions properly accounted for?

And, perhaps most importantly, could anything have been done differently?

Those questions will likely remain at the centre of the story as Arizona State reviews the incident and the Mayich family conducts its own investigation.

For the St. Louis Blues, however, the public focus has remained firmly on Mayich and his family.

Blues president of hockey operations Doug Armstrong released a statement on August 26 saying the entire organization was keeping Mayich “close to our hearts” while he continued receiving medical treatment in Arizona.

Armstrong said Mayich’s agent had kept the organization informed about his medical status and that the Blues were extending their support to his family, friends and teammates.

The reaction has stretched far beyond St. Louis.

Mayich spent much of his development in Ontario, making him a familiar name to OHL fans.

Ontario Hockey League commissioner Bryan Crawford said the league was thinking about Matthew, his parents John and Christina, and the entire Mayich family while pulling for him.

The situation could eventually raise much broader questions throughout college hockey.

Demanding off-ice conditioning has long been part of hockey culture. Players are expected to arrive in elite shape, push themselves physically and handle difficult training environments.

But incidents of this seriousness inevitably force programs and governing bodies to examine where that line should be drawn — particularly when outdoor temperatures, hydration, recovery and unconventional conditioning methods are involved.

It is important, however, not to get ahead of what has actually been established.

At this stage, no official finding has determined that Arizona State, its coaching staff or any individual caused Mayich’s medical emergency.

The claims being made by the family’s attorney remain allegations, and Arizona State’s review of the circumstances is ongoing.

What is known is far simpler — and far more painful.

A 21-year-old hockey player arrived at Arizona State preparing for a new season and a new opportunity.

He had been drafted by an NHL organization. He had already spent years playing major junior and college hockey. And the possibility of a professional career remained ahead of him.

Now his family is at his bedside while searching for answers about what happened on August 20.

For the hockey community, prospect rankings, depth charts and future NHL projections suddenly feel insignificant.

The Blues may have drafted Matthew Mayich because of the hockey player they believed he could become.

But the support surrounding him now has nothing to do with hockey.

It is about Matthew Mayich the person — a son, teammate and friend — and a family facing an unimaginable situation while trying to understand how it happened.

Sources: Associated Press/Sportsnet, St. Louis Blues, College Hockey News, Arizona Sports and Canadian Press.