The London Knights, a team of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), announced the death of forward Abakar Kazbekov on Saturday.
A native of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Kazbekov was 18 years old.
“Abakar was a valued member of the organization since 2021,” the Knights wrote on Twitter. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and teammates.”
The cause of death of the young center player is not known.
Kazbekov was in his second season with the Knights, having played nine games in 2021-22. He has two points in 21 career OHL games.
The duel scheduled for Saturday between the Knights and the Flint Firebirds has also been postponed due to this sad news.
OHL Commissioner David Branch later responded to Kazbekov’s death in a statement.
“I join the entire OHL community in mourning this devastating loss. We offer our deepest condolences to his loved ones in Russia, as well as to his teammates, host family and friends here in Canada.”