Matt Reigle
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Alex Graham, a highly touted British hockey player has died at just 20-years-old, according to a statement from his team.
Graham played in the Elite Ice Hockey Hockey League, the top level of hockey in the United Kingdom.
On Monday, his team, the Sheffield Steelers announced that he had died over the weekend. The team did not reveal a cause of death.
“Everyone at the club is heartbroken by the news and wish to pass on our thoughts and condolences to Alex’s family, friends and teammates,” the team said in a statement posted to Instagram.
Team GB Ice Hockey also expressed their condolences on Twitter.
Graham was one of the UK’s top prospects along with Arizona Coyotes prospect and former Sheffield Steeler Liam Kirk.
While Graham was not selected in the NHL Draft, he was selected by the Ontario Hockey League’s Niagara Ice Dogs in the 2021 CHL Import Draft.
Graham never played for the Ice Dogs, electing instead to stay in the UK and play for Sheffield.
According to the Steelers’ Instagram post, Graham had appeared in 81 games for the club since 2019. however, he only recently signed his first professional contract with the team.
A GoFundMe page looking to raise £5,000 ($6376) was set up to raise money for on-ice tributes.
“Alex Graham was a promising, talented young man with his whole life and career ahead of him,” the page reads. “As a club, a fan base, and the whole region – we’ve lost something really special. Let’s all try to club together to purchase some memorial items for Alex.”
Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle
Tragic. Deaths this young are either drugs, car accidents, underlying genetic conditions or covid shots
The first thing that came to my mind is the latter.