JJ Wright was one of three junior hockey players for the Southern Alberta Mustangs who died in a fatal car crash near Stavely, Alberta, while on his way to team practice Monday morning.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say a passenger car carrying Wright and two teammates was traveling east toward Mustang’s practice facility when it collided with a northbound semi-truck hauling gravel at an intersection along Highway 2, about an hour south of Calgary.
All three players were pronounced dead at the scene.
Wright, an 18-year-old forward from Kamloops, British Columbia, developed as a hockey player in Kamloops’ minor hockey system, where he played for several years before joining the Southern Alberta Mustangs, who compete in the Premier Division of the U.S. Premier Hockey League.
Local hockey officials and teammates described Wright as a player known for his sense of humor, close friendships and positive presence in the locker room, someone who could boost team morale both on and off the ice.
In a statement released after the crash, the Mustangs organization said there were “no words that can adequately express the depth of our grief,” adding that Wright along with his teammates was “more than a hockey player … a son, brother and friend.”
A memorial featuring the players’ jerseys and hockey sticks was erected at Stavely Arena, as tributes poured in from across the Canadian hockey community and beyond.
