ASU heat scare puts a spotlight on how college teams train

After an Arizona State player collapsed during an outdoor workout and was hospitalized in critical condition, college hockey strength programs are under new scrutiny. The fallout is reshaping how teams think about heat, safety, and preseason grind, especially in warm-weather markets like the Southwest and Las Vegas.

What happened at ASU, and why is the college hockey world paying attention?

Arizona State’s hockey program has been thrust into the national spotlight for reasons no one wanted. During an outdoor preseason conditioning session on August 20, defenseman Matthew Mayich collapsed in brutal heat and was later hospitalized in critical condition. Reports describe a punishing workout that took place after he had been in Arizona for only a short time, with witnesses saying he was clearly struggling before going down. The workout, run by an outside trainer with a military background, has become ground zero for a hard conversation about how far is too far in the name of fitness.

In the weeks since, updates from news outlets have painted a grim picture of Mayich’s condition and raised pointed questions about whether training followed established safety rules for exertional heat. The family’s attorney has said publicly that the session may have violated ASU’s own heat policy, especially around acclimatization and hydration. University police and other authorities have reportedly launched investigations into what happened that morning and who signed off on the plan. What began as a single preseason workout is now a catalyst for college hockey programs everywhere to revisit how they prepare athletes, particularly in hot-weather markets.

• Player collapsed during an outdoor workout in extreme heat
• Reports say he was new to Arizona’s climate at the time
• Session led by a former military instructor, not a typical team lift
• School and police investigations are now underway

How do exertional heat policies work, and where can they break down?

Most major athletic departments, including hockey programs, maintain written guidelines around training in the heat. These typically cover how quickly athletes can ramp up, what temperatures or humidity levels trigger modifications, and how often water and rest must be built into a session. A key concept is acclimatization: the body needs time, often 7 to 14 days, to adjust to new heat conditions, especially if an athlete comes from a cooler climate. Skipping or compressing that period increases the risk of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and other serious complications.

The ASU incident is forcing people to look not only at the policies on paper but also at the realities on the ground. Families and observers are asking how clearly expectations were communicated, who was empowered to hit pause, and whether athletes felt free to speak up when they were in distress. Even a good policy can fail if outside contractors do not fully understand it, if communication between medical staff and strength coaches breaks down, or if competitive pressure makes players stay silent. The take-home lesson for the college hockey world is that safety rules must be more than a binder in an office; they have to drive decisions in real time when the heat index jumps.

• Policies usually mandate gradual heat acclimatization periods
• Hydration and scheduled rest breaks should be non-negotiable
• Medical and strength staffs must share clear authority on safety
• Players need a protected voice to stop when something feels wrong

Why desert and warm-weather hockey programs face unique conditioning risks

For northern programs, “hot” preseason days might mean muggy 80s and a tough hill run before hitting the rink. For teams in places like Arizona or even here in the Mojave, summer and early fall can mean triple-digit temperatures that turn any outdoor session into a serious stress test. Players who arrive from cooler regions can be at a particular disadvantage because their bodies simply are not ready for the heat load. That makes careful planning and incremental buildup even more critical in the desert than in traditional hockey country.

The rise of college and pro hockey in warm-weather markets has shown that the sport can thrive anywhere you can freeze good ice. But off-ice conditioning does not get built in a climate-controlled bubble. Whether it is a college program grinding through captain’s skates in Tempe or a showcase event bringing teams to Las Vegas for holiday tournaments, staff need to think as much about wet-bulb temperatures and shade as they do about squat racks and sprint intervals. Conditioning outside in the desert is not automatically unsafe, but it demands better scheduling, backups indoors, and clear lines of authority when the heat climbs faster than expected.

• Desert programs deal with triple-digit air temperatures in preseason
• Incoming players from cooler climates are at higher initial risk
• Outdoor workouts should be shifted to early morning or moved inside
• Events in cities like Las Vegas must plan for extreme heat contingencies

What can players and parents ask about preseason training to stay informed?

The ASU situation has made many families realize how little they may know about what actually happens at preseason workouts. While staff own the training plan, players and parents can still ask direct, respectful questions. Before a season begins, it is reasonable to ask how the program handles extreme heat, who supervises conditioning sessions, and what role medical staff play during intense days. You can also ask whether outside contractors are used and how they are briefed on school policies.

For players, the biggest step is understanding that speaking up about symptoms is not weakness. Signs like dizziness, chills in the heat, confusion, or feeling like you cannot catch your breath deserve immediate attention, not another sprint. Teams that build a culture where upperclassmen back younger players who tap out for safety tend to avoid the worst scenarios. Fans and family members watching from the stands or sidelines can also pay attention: when you see athletes consistently struggling, lining garbage cans, or getting visibly disoriented in brutal weather, that is a cue to raise concerns with staff after the session.

How could this change future college hockey seasons, from practice plans to desert tournaments?

In the short term, the ASU case is likely to push schools to audit their heat policies and how they are enforced. Compliance offices, athletic trainers, and strength coaches may revisit everything from allowable start times for outdoor work to how many days athletes must be in market before high-intensity conditioning. Some schools could add mandatory documentation for hydration breaks and require that on-site medical staff have clear power to stop a session. Others might limit the use of non-staff trainers to settings where a team representative is present and able to intervene.

Looking a bit down the road, the conversation will also reach event organizers and host cities. Preseason showcases, neutral-site games, and holiday tournaments in warmer climates will need to account for safe training and recovery spaces as part of their pitch. That might mean more indoor dryland options, coordinated access to sports medicine, and clearer communication to visiting coaches about local weather norms. For fans, this all circles back to one simple truth: we want fast, physical hockey on the Strip and across the desert, but not at the expense of athlete safety. Done right, you can have both, and it starts with asking hard questions now so that future games feel a little more secure when you grab those tickets.

← More from the Ice Vegas Invitational blog