People who are part of the tight-knit hockey community in Kamloops, B.C., are shocked and devastated by the sudden death of two local players who were continuing their careers on the ice in Alberta.

On Feb. 2, Cameron Casorso, JJ Wright, and their teammate Caden Fine, from Birmingham, Alabama, were driving to practice in Stavely, Alta., when they were involved in a highway collision with a semi truck. 

Alberta RCMP said the three hockey players died at the scene.

Casorso and Wright were both 18 years old, and grew up in Kamloops. They had moved to Stavely to play their first season with the Southern Alberta Mustangs, which is a part of the United States Premier Hockey League. 

The pair had played in the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association (KMHA) for more than a decade.

“Devastating. I don’t believe it,” said Narinder Serown, a former assistant coach on one of Wright’s past teams. Serown, a hockey dad, also knew Wright from all the years his sons played with and against him.

“If I was to describe JJ in one word: enthusiastic. He loved the game. Always came to practices and games with a hop in his step.”

He said the young forward was a strong, positive and physical player who wouldn’t ever back down on the ice, and was always smiling off the ice.

“He would play a big hit and would wait for the guy to get up, and give him a high five.”

Casorso was a goaltender, who is described as a “brick wall between the pipes” after he played his final game and aged out of the KMHA, in March 2025. 

“You’ve shown heart, resilience, and the ability to shake off a bad bounce and stand tall when the team needed you most,” reads a statement from KMHA. 

Nathan Bosa, president of KMHA, asked that people put sticks out on their porches, in memory of the young men. 

Across Kamloops on Tuesday, many doorsteps were framed by hockey sticks and candles. 

The Lampereau-Rey household, was one of those homes. They dimmed their lights and were in mourning.

“I want everybody to know that JJ was just a great friend. Not only to Jaeda, but to my other son Benjamin. One of his only friends, and I’ll always love and appreciate him for being so kind,” said Shelley Lampereau. 

Her daughter, Jaeda Rey, and Wright became friends on their first day of kindergarten. 

 “When I look back on my childhood, he is always there,” said Rey, who’s now 18.

“He was the funniest person that I knew. So easy to get along with and get to know and easy to talk to,” she said. Rey joked that as kids, he was also easy to get into trouble with.

Condolences over their deaths have poured in from across the country, including from Prime Minister Mark Carney, the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers.

WATCH | Players remembered for enthusiasm and kindness:

B.C. junior hockey players killed in Alberta crash

Residents of Kamloops are mourning after three junior hockey players, two from Kamloops, perished in a vehicle collision on the way to morning practice.