Alberta communities grieving deaths of junior hockey players in highway collision
Posted Feb 25, 2026 2:30 pm.
Last Updated Feb 25, 2026 5:15 pm.
Two Alberta towns are in mourning after a pair of junior hockey players were killed in a collision with a semi-truck between Jasper and Hinton Tuesday evening.
Early reports from RCMP point to road conditions as a factor in the crash.
The victims were identified as Kayla Peacock and Danica Hills from Hinton – members of the coed Jasper U18 Bearcats hockey team.
The president of Jasper Minor Sports says losing the two young athletes cuts deep.
“They were fabulous, fabulous people all around and that’s why they were so welcomed into our community, and why the communities of youth in Hinton and Jasper are feeling the effects of their passing as they were very well-respected people,” said Grant Bradley.
Harry Collinge High School in Hinton, west of Edmonton, where the girls studied, cancelled classes Wednesday. The school remained open for community members to gather, and counselling services were made available.
Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said in a statement both played on the Jasper U18 Bearcats hockey team and called their deaths a loss “beyond comprehension.”
Canadian hockey hall of famer Hayley Wickenheiser said it’s been a difficult few weeks for hockey communities in Canada, referencing the deaths of three members of an Alberta junior hockey team killed in a crash while driving to practice south of Calgary earlier this month.
For Bradley, the tragedy is another fresh wound on top of pain still embedded in the community from the 2024 Jasper wildfire.
“It’s been quite difficult and saddening to see for our youth and communities just the amount layer upon layer in the past couple years,” he said.
The tight-knit community is now looking to support the family of the two players by raising money through a memorial game Friday.
–With files from The Canadian Press
