An assistant hockey coach at Arizona State University who was on the field during a military-style workout that left a player on life support won't be with the team for its home opener this weekend.
Alex Hicks, who hockey players referred to as the team "enforcer," appears to be the latest member of the coaching staff affected by the fallout from the near-fatal Aug. 20 workout.
University officials would not discuss Hicks' job status or say if he was put on administrative leave, confirming only that he would not be at the Oct. 9 and 10 games.
"He is not going to be with the team this weekend," ASU spokesperson Jay Thorne said in a phone interview Oct. 8.
The change in the coaching staff comes as the team awaits an expected announcement of the appointment
of an interim coach to take over the team since head coach Greg Powers was put on leave Sept. 30. The athletic trainer who helped oversee the workout with Powers and Hicks was also transferred to a new team, officials confirmed Oct. 6.
The move comes 50 days after defender Matthew Mayich, 21, collapsed from exertional heatstroke during a workout led by an ex-Green Beret invited by Powers to run the team through three-days of drills that players described as extreme.
Mayich family lawyer Robert Carey told The Arizona Republic on Oct. 8 that removing Hicks was the right decision.
"It gives the players breathing room," he said. "But it doesn't answer the central question of what happened on Aug. 20 and why."
Seven players, in a Sept. 28 letter to ASU President Michael Crow, called on the university to place the entire hockey staff on administrative leave and for outside investigators to conduct an independent review. Phoenix lawyer Tim Casey, who represents the players said they needed to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.
Casey said players referred to Hicks as Powers' "enforcer," carrying out "unpleasant, harsh or forceful" edicts for the coach. He also noted that Hicks and Powers are longtime friends.
The players said water was used as a reward and breaks were denied to players who couldn't keep up with exercises during the military-style workout. They said Mayich received no water and showed signs of distress that coaches and the trainer ignored. They alleged the staff left Mayich lying on the ground while they treated him and that Powers minimized his condition and told other players he would be fine.
It was unknown if any other members of the hockey staff were reassigned after Mayich's collapse. But other high-profile coaches remained in place. Assistant coach Mike Corbett was tapped to lead the team for its Oct. 2 season-opener.
Multiple reviews of practice weeks after family's call for action
The university for weeks had resisted calls by Mayich's family to turn over the investigation of the workout to an outside law enforcement agency while it investigated itself.
Two state lawmakers on Sept. 28 petitioned the Arizona Board of Regents for a third-party investigation. U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both Democrats from Arizona, echoed the need for an independent investigation on Sept. 30.
The university on Oct. 2 announced that it had hired former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Scott Bales to conduct an independent review of the workout.
The ASU Police Department began investigating the circumstances of Mayich's collapse after getting the 911 call about a heat-related incident. Administrators also promised a separate internal review of everything surrounding the workout.
ASU Senior Vice President James Rund outlined initial findings to ASU President Michael Crow on Sept. 22. He called for a blue-ribbon advisory panel, made up of experts who would recommend how the university should conduct outdoor athletic activities and use outside consultants.
Rund's investigative summary and four-page timeline did not identify anyone responsible for the failures or outline accountability measures.
An ongoing investigation by The Arizona Republic found multiple potential policy violations connected to the workout and Mayich's collapse.
The Republic found the ex-Green Beret did not go through the required vetting process or sign standard forms before starting drills. Powers and other coaches arranged the Aug. 20 workout with guest instructor Tim Ziesel, who said he was never asked to sign a contract, an apparent violation of school policies.
The Republic also found ASU did not appear to follow its own rules designed to protect students from exertional heat illness before, during and after the workout. The university didn't follow its emergency guidelines after Mayich collapsed on the field and he hadn't gone through the standard heat acclimation period for athletes prior to the workout.
Mayich, like many players, came from or had lived in cold climates and arrived in Arizona within the prior two weeks, his teammates said.
Mayich, a sophomore from Stoney Creek, Ontario, was in his first year at ASU. He was part of a 2026 transfer portal class that ranked first in the country. He appeared in 34 games, tallying seven goals and eight assists, in his freshman season at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York.
He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues of the NHL in 2023. Drafted players retain their college status while NHL teams hold their exclusive signing rights.
Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X @robertanglen.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Assistant ASU hockey coach separated from team for home opener | Exclusive
