A Russian teenage ice hockey prospect has died in hospital three weeks after he was hit in the neck by a puck that was travelling at more than 100mph.
Alexander Orekhov, a junior with Metallurg Novokuznetsk in the KHL, suffered a broken neck in the second period of a game on 14 January. The shot struck Orekhov, 16, with enough force that it “damaged the carotid artery and broke several bones”. Orekhov collapsed on the ice and suffered cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated and taken to a local hospital, at which point he was put into a medically induced coma.
Orekhov remained in a coma in hospital in Novosibirsk, Russia’s third largest city. He never recovered, and died of heart failure.
“Today we lost Alexander to his injuries. We just want to express my deepest condolences to the family,” said Metallurg Novokuznetsk GM Vladimir Rokkel. “This is an irreplaceable loss for all of hockey.”
After the accident, the governor of the Kemerovo Oblast region in southwestern Siberia, Aman Tuleyev, promised to raise funds for Orekhov’s treatment. But police confirmed that the teenager was declared dead on Tuesday. A spokesman said: “An investigation is ongoing into his death.”
Orekhov was regarded as one of the best players among his age group in the Far East region. He was slated to be eligible for the NHL entry draft in 2017.
