ASU Associate Coach Alex Hicks Out for Home Opener Amid Probe

Alex Hicks, Arizona State's associate hockey coach, will miss the Sun Devils' home opener on Friday night, the university confirmed Thursday.

Hicks was among the coaches on hand on Aug. 20, when St. Louis Blues prospect Matthew Mayich collapsed at an outdoor team workout. The Blues drafted the 21-year-old defenceman 170th overall in 2023. Mayich remains hospitalized. Rob Carey, the lawyer representing his family, has said the collapse was caused by exertional heat stroke that limited oxygen to Mayich's brain, and that he is not expected to recover.

ASU spokesperson Jay Thorne told the Arizona Republic that Hicks "is not going to be with the team this weekend," ESPN reported. The school did not answer ESPN's questions on whether Hicks or the other assistants remain employed.

Greg Powers, the head coach, went on paid administrative leave last week. That move came after seven players challenged the findings of ASU's first review of the workout. Carey argued at the time that sidelining Powers did not go far enough, since Hicks still held authority over the players.

Mike Corbett, an assistant coach, will run the bench this weekend, according to an ASU spokesman's email to ESPN. Taylor Pyatt, a former NHL player the school said was approved and cleared in August, will join him behind the bench. Athletic director Graham Rossini told Arizona Sports' Burns & Gambo that ASU is "days away" from appointing an interim head coach, who will then pick a staff, according to the school.

The players' letter to ASU president Michael M. Crow made several allegations: that Mayich's core temperature was never taken, that he stayed in the sun for several minutes, and that the cold-water tub or ice chest ASU policy calls for was missing from the field. No independent investigation has yet established those claims.

A former chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court is leading a review of the workout at ASU's request. Separately, ASU's police department is investigating and will refer its findings to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for an independent review.