Junior Hockey Player Eli Palfreyman Dies At Tournament

There was some tragic news out of Canada with the announcement that junior hockey player Eli Palfreyman died in the locker room during a pre-season game. He was just 20 years old.

Palfreyman was playing for the Ayr Centennials of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. According to the Toronto Sun, Palfrey collapsed during the first intermission of a game at the North Dumfries Community Centre. Efforts to resuscitate Palfreyman were unsuccessful.

The team was playing in the Ayr Mutual Global Invitational tournament. The tournament included six junior teams including Jungadler Mannheim who had traveled from Germany.

The tournament was canceled after Palfreyman's death.

The Centennial captain's death shocked the community and the hockey world at large. He had just been named the Centennials' captain earlier in the weekend.

The Peterborough Petes selected Palfreyman in the 2018 Ontario Hockey League Draft. He never played for the Petes, but the major junior team paid tribute to their late prospect.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to Eli’s family and all of his teammates and staff with Ayr. We’re keeping them in our thoughts and prayers” Petes GM Michael Oke said.

Palfreyman spent last season between the Centennials and the Atlanta mad Hatters of the US Premier Hockey League.

Let's all send our best to Palfreyman's family, friends, and teammates during this difficult time.