NEW YORK – During a game in his native Russia on Monday night, Alexei Cherepanov died. He was 19. It was reported that Cherepanov suffered a heart attack and collapsed on the bench during Avangard Omsk’s game against Vityav Chekhov.

The report stated that medical officials tried to get Cherepanov’s heart beating again. It took between “15 and 20 minutes” to transport Cherepanov from the arena to the hospital. Omsk head coach Wayne Fleming said, “They tried to get his heart started again but they couldn’t. “

Cherepanov’s agent, Jay Grossman, told TSN, “He had a great smile and was an outstanding player with a great future on and off the ice. He was a great kid.” NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly stated, “He was a tremendous young man and a highly-skilled hockey player whose promising career had no limits. His unexpected passing at such a young age is a great loss for the entire hockey community. “