The hockey world is grieving after three teenage players from the Southern Alberta Mustangs were killed in a car crash on their way to practice Monday.
The victims were identified as 18-year-olds JJ Wright and Cameron Casorso, both from Kamloops, British Columbia, and 17-year-old Caden Fine from Birmingham, Alabama. All three were pronounced dead at the scene after their vehicle collided with a gravel-hauling semi-truck near Stavely, just south of Calgary, around 11 a.m., according to Canadian authorities.
A memorial of jerseys and hockey sticks was set up outside Stavely Arena Monday night. The Calgary Flames held a moment of silence before their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“It is with unimaginable heartbreak that we confirm three players from the Southern Alberta Mustangs were killed in a motor vehicle accident,” the team said in a statement. “These young men were more than hockey players — they were teammates, sons, brothers, friends, and deeply loved members of our Mustangs family.”
Casorso was a goaltender. Wright and Fine were both forwards. The trio had been traveling to a team practice when the crash occurred. The 40-year-old truck driver sustained minor injuries. An investigation is ongoing, per the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, via CTV News.
Fine had traveled from Alabama to chase his hockey dream in Canada. The Mustangs are playing in their first season in the US Premier Hockey League’s Premier Division.
“We are a family, and today our family is hurting,” the Mustangs said.
The Kamloops Minor Hockey Association echoed the heartbreak, saying, “These three young men were teammates and friends to many. We are grieving together as one hockey family.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted condolences, saying his heart breaks for the families and the entire Mustangs community.
An unspeakable tragedy. And a reminder of how fragile life can be — even on the road to practice.