Three players on an Alberta junior hockey team killed in a crash while heading to practice are being remembered as exceptional young men who had a spark in their eyes for the sport.
The Southern Alberta Mustangs in the small town of Stavely announced the deaths in a Facebook post Monday.
"There are no words that can adequately express the depth of our grief," the team said.
"These young men were more than hockey players — they were teammates, sons, brothers, friends, and deeply loved members of our Mustangs family and the communities we call home."
RCMP said officers responded to the Monday morning crash at an intersection with Highway 2 in the town, about an hour's drive south of Calgary.
It involved a northbound semi truck hauling gravel and a small passenger vehicle that was heading east.
JJ Wright and Cameron Casorso, both 18 and from Kamloops, B.C., and 17-year-old Caden Fine from Alabama were killed.
The driver of the semi, a 40-year-old man from Stavely, received minor injuries, Mounties said.
A photo posted on a Facebook page of a family member of one of the players showed a memorial at the town's arena — three white and red jerseys with the last names of the players draped over a table, along with three upright hockey sticks.
The Mustangs play in the U.S. Premier Hockey League's Premier Division, which the league describes as being "known for developing players into college-ready athletes."
Mike Gilroy, a former player co-ordinator with the Mustangs, worked with the three players last summer.
He also spoke with Fine's father before the player was looking at moving to Alberta from Alabama.
"That was his dream -- to play in Canada," said Gilroy, adding all three were excited about playing hockey and where the sport might take them.
They were inspiring, he said.
"They had the spark in their eyes and the fire in their hearts every day and enjoyed being a part of a team and took the time to put in the extra work to be successful.
"It is far too soon for young, talented people like this."
Blake Linquist, who played with Wright in Kamloops, said his former teammate was a great player who had a good sense of humour and cared for those around him.
"He would always like to throw jokes and make everyone else laugh," the 16-year-old said. "He was honestly a best friend on and off the ice.
"He was the best person you’d ever meet."
Thunder Camille, another former teammate, said he met Wright six years ago and remembers the player always wearing a smile.
Wright once dislocated his knee during a game, but he got right back up to support his team from off the ice, Camille said.
“Even when he wasn’t able to be on the ice, he still had our backs," Camille said.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, in a social media post, offered condolences to the families and teammates.
"The whole Alberta hockey family is standing with you in sorrow and in prayer," said Smith.
"In the days ahead, I know Albertans will wrap these families and this team in love and support as they navigate a pain no one should ever have to bear."
Prime Minister Mark Carney also said he was heartbroken by the news.
"Canadians are keeping the entire Southern Alberta Mustangs community in our thoughts as they face this unimaginable grief," he said on social media.
The Kamloops Minor Hockey Association said in a statement that Casorso and Wright grew up in the B.C. organization. Casorso played from 2012 to 2025 and Wright from 2011 to 2025.
"Although their journeys began here in Kamloops, they found a second hockey family and a new bond with the Southern Alberta Mustangs," it said.
"These three young men were teammates and friends to many. We are grieving together, as one hockey family forever changed by the loss of these young men.”
The Calgary Flames, with the National Hockey League, also offered support on social media: "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who knew them."
For some, news of the crash evoked memories of another deadly crash involving a junior hockey team.
Sixteen people were killed and 13 were injured when a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League crashed in April 2018. The team had been on its way to a playoff game when a semi truck blew through a stop sign and into the path of the bus at a rural intersection near Tisdale, Sask.
The Broncos posted condolences for the Alberta team on social media.
"There are no words – only heavy hearts ... we stand with you. We mourn with you. We are with you."
