Melfort Mustang one of four people killed on Saskatchewan highways this weekend
Saskatchewan's hockey community is in mourning after Melfort Mustangs Defenceman Dylan Ashe was killed in a rollover on Saturday night.
His Mother Della Ashe says the 18-year-old was driving home on Highway 35 when he rolled his vehicle northeast of Whitefox and did not survive the crash. She said the teenage athlete is being remembered fondly by everyone who knew him.
"We were just talking about his personality and how he was always so relaxed," she said. "He'd come into a room, smile at you and light up the room and he was always in for a hug."
Alongside playing for the Melfort Mustangs, EliteProspects.com which tracks up-and-coming hockey players, indicated Ashe also sported the jerseys of the Tisdale Trojans, Warman Wildcats and the Sask. Valley Vipers.
His mother said the sport of hockey always had a special place in her son's heart.
"His hockey teams were his family," she said. "That's what he lived for."
Support from Saskatchewan's hockey community has been pouring in, said Ashe, and she's received numerous messages from former and current teammates, alongside members of the hockey community the family have not interacted with in years. Ashe says having support from the wider community has helped her family deal with the sudden loss.
"It's huge," she said, noting players who knew Ashe have reached out to detail how big of an influence the young hockey player was in their life. "It's been overwhelming."
Ashe was set to travel to Melfort on Tuesday to start his second season with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League club. Both the team and the league took to social media to express their condolences about the loss.
"From our entire organization we would like to send our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Ashe family. You are in our thoughts and prayers," the Melfort Mustangs posted from its official Twitter account.
The SJHL posted from its accounts that it's thoughts were with Ashe's family as they dealt with the loss.
"You and all of the @SJHL_Mustangs and their friends have our deepest sympathies," the league posted.
Ashe's death was one of at least four that took place on provincial highways over the weekend, as Saturday saw several fatal crashes.
At roughly 1:30 a.m. Saturday a man was killed in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash near the community of Birsay at the intersection of Highway 45 and Highway 373.
Then, at roughly 3:50 a.m., a 36-year-old woman died following a single vehicle collision near the community of Stanley Mission.
A third fatal crash took place at around 5:45 a.m. when RCMP were called to a report of a single vehicle near the community of Canora that left a 22-year-old man dead.
RCMP say investigations into all three of the above crashes are ongoing.
