Arizona State has reached a mutual agreement to part ways with hockey coach Greg Powers and hired Dave Hakstol, a former Colorado Avalanche assistant, as head coach. The change follows the August 20 collapse of sophomore Matthew Mayich during an outdoor workout, but ASU has not stated that the events are causally connected. Teammates have alleged that Mayich had no water breaks and that emergency equipment was absent, claims that remain unverified. Former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Scott Bales is overseeing an independent investigation. The university has not announced a findings deadline or new workout rules, and Mayich’s family has called for a full review, public findings, and continued cooperation.
TLDR: ASU has hired Dave Hakstol after agreeing to part ways with Greg Powers, while an independent review of Matthew Mayich’s workout collapse continues. Allegations about water breaks and missing emergency equipment have not been established, and no findings deadline has been announced.
Arizona State University has reached a “mutual agreement to part ways” with hockey coach Greg Powers, nearly two months after sophomore Matthew Mayich collapsed during an outdoor workout. The university also announced that Dave Hakstol will take over as head coach. The timing places a coaching change alongside an unresolved investigation, but the university has not said that the two are causally connected.
The official rationale for Powers’s departure is not stated in the available account. ASU said it was grateful for his work building the Division I hockey program and for nearly two decades of service. That is the university’s public explanation of his record, not a specific account of why the agreement was reached. The school has made no public claim in the excerpt that the coaching change settles questions about the workout.
Mayich, 21, collapsed during a workout on Aug. 20 and was placed on life support. Robert Carey, an attorney for Mayich’s family, said Mayich suffered heat stroke and was unlikely to recover, according to local television reporting cited in the account. The report does not provide a later update on Mayich’s condition. His family said Thursday that its focus remains on him and on understanding what happened so that another player does not face the same outcome.
The circumstances of the workout remain disputed. Seven teammates, writing anonymously, alleged that the school’s description of the session was inaccurate. They said Mayich received no water breaks, showed signs of distress before the final exercise, and collapsed during that exercise. They also alleged that required emergency equipment, including cold-water immersion tubs, was not on the field. Those are allegations in the letter; the independent investigation is intended to examine the incident.
The students said an outside consultant, Tim Ziesel, ran the workout and described it as “grueling” and “military-style.” Ziesel, in a statement released by his attorney, disputed that description, saying there was no such thing as a military-style workout beyond calisthenics performed to a cadence. The available account does not establish which description is accurate. It also does not report findings about the workout, the equipment, or who approved the session.
Powers had been placed on paid administrative leave late last month. The move came after Mayich’s parents and several teammates called for the staff responsible for the workout to be removed while an investigation was underway. Powers later said he intended to cooperate fully. His departure now changes his role at the university, but it does not by itself establish responsibility for what happened or resolve the questions raised by the players.
ASU has asked former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Scott Bales to oversee an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mayich’s collapse, according to the report. The family said the review should continue with its full scope, gather digital evidence, cover everyone involved in the workout and its approval, and make its findings public. The family also said Powers’s departure should not limit cooperation by him or anyone else, and that the players who spoke up should be protected. The account does not state a publication date for the findings or describe a deadline for the investigation.
Hakstol, the new head coach, previously served as an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL. ASU’s announcement provides a clear personnel change while the investigation remains open. No information in the account describes changes to workout rules, new forms, added compliance requirements, or costs. It also does not specify any enforcement measures or deadlines. Those practical details are not reported, and should not be assumed to be part of the plan.
The immediate impact is therefore defined by what has been announced: Powers has left by mutual agreement, Hakstol has been hired, and Bales is overseeing an independent review. The university has not said that the review is complete or that the coaching change replaces it. The family’s call for broad evidence gathering and public findings remains a stated request, not a confirmed commitment by the university. The next necessary steps are continued cooperation and the investigation’s work; its scope and eventual findings will determine what is established about the workout.
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