(UPDATE: Aug. 27 @ 10:50 am): Mounties say their initial investigation shows speed was a factor in a crash that killed three teenage hockey players in Surrey.
In a news release, police say investigators have found that the car was travelling at a speed "significantly greater" than the posted limit.
Emergency services personnel were called out early Saturday after a car hit a tree.
Officials have said all three of the car’s occupants died at the scene.
The NHL and hockey teams, including the Humboldt Broncos, offered their condolences to the families of the three junior players.
The league identified the players in a social media post as Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson.
The Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League said Reimer, who was 16, was one of several young breakout players on the team’s roster during their 2020−21 Central Division Championship season.
The Langley Rivermen of the British Columbia Hockey League confirmed that Sharma, who was also 16, died in the crash.
The Delta Hockey Academy, which offers programs in Metro Vancouver that combine hockey and school, said in a statement that three student−athletes with the academy had died.
(UPDATE: Aug. 23 @ 5:25 am): Hockey leagues such as the NHL and teams including the Humboldt Broncos have offered their condolences to the families of three junior players who died when a vehicle crashed into a tree in British Columbia.
"The NHL sends its love and deepest condolences to the families of junior hockey players Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson who tragically passed away in a car accident on Saturday," said a tweet from the National Hockey League on Sunday.
Police have said that they and other emergency services personnel were dispatched to the Fraser Heights neighbourhood of Surrey just before 3 am on Saturday
https://t.co/jDh3V0Drqe pic.twitter.com/2TUUMZRR5X
— Langley Rivermen (@LangleyRivermen) August 21, 2021
Officials said all three of the vehicle’s occupants, who were teenagers, died at the scene.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation and the identities of the victims were not immediately released.
But the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League confirmed that Reimer, who was just 16, was one of the victims. A statement on the team’s website said he was one of several young breakout players on the Oil Kings roster during their 2020−21 Central Division Championship season.
"I will never forget the first phone call we had the day we drafted him to the organization and the excitement of Caleb on the other end of the line," Kirt Hill, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, said in a statement.
We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of #OilKings 2019 first-round draft pick Caleb Reimer at the age of 16. Caleb was part of our family & will be a tremendous loss in all of our hearts.
— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) August 22, 2021
Full statement: https://t.co/VEWKKKccrz pic.twitter.com/2Pp0pVowHC
"We will truly miss having Caleb in our lives each and every day. He was part of our family and will be a tremendous loss in all of our hearts."
The Langley Rivermen of the BCHL confirmed that Sharma, who was also 16, died in the crash, too.
"Today we lost a young man who made each and every one of our lives better as well as brighter every day he came to play the game we all love," said a statement this weekend on the team’s website.
"We as an entire organization wish the Sharma family our deepest and sincerest condolences."
We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson.
— Hockey Gives Blood (@hkygivesblood) August 22, 2021
Our sincerest condolences go out their families, teammates and many friends. RIP boys. ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/9FDGMP0rA5
The Delta Hockey Academy, which offers programs that combine hockey and school, said in a statement that three student−athletes with the academy, located in Delta, died on Saturday morning.
The statement, which did not name the athletes, noted the Delta School District was organizing support services and resources for its student−athletes starting Monday.
A junior team that also suffered a tragedy in 2018 when their team bus and a semi−trailer collided at a rural Saskatchewan intersection, killing 16 and injuring 13, tweeted its own message in response to the deaths.
"The Humboldt Broncos would like to send out condolences to the families and friends of Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson," the tweet stated.
"Our thoughts are with you."
