No criminal charges over death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson

No criminal charges will be brought against a professional ice hockey player arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of Adam Johnson.

The Nottingham Panthers player, 29, died after suffering a neck injury from a skate during a collision with Sheffield Steelers’ Matt Petgrave on 28 October 2023.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it worked with South Yorkshire Police to determine whether any criminal charges should be brought.

“We have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offence and so there will not be a prosecution,” Michael Quinn, deputy chief crown prosecutor, said.

Mr Quinn added: “This was a shocking and deeply upsetting incident.

“The CPS and South Yorkshire Police have worked closely together to determine whether any criminal charges should be brought against the other ice hockey player involved.

“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Adam Johnson.”

He said the police investigation had been “thorough” and the CPS had undertaken a “comprehensive review of all the evidence”.

Mr Petgrave, who is Canadian, spent 17 months on bail after he was arrested in November 2023.

He was rebailed seven times by South Yorkshire Police as the investigation continued.

Mr Petgrave had denied the allegations and called the incident a “tragic accident”.

The death of Mr Johnson, who was from Minnesota in the US, sparked an outpouring of grief across the world.

Mr Johnson previously played in North America’s National Hockey League (NHL), featuring 13 times for Pittsburgh Penguins.

He made the move to the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for the 2020-21 season, before spells with the Ontario Reign and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the American Hockey League.

Mr Johnson played for Augsburger Panther in Germany before switching to the Nottingham Panthers in August 2023.

After his death, the player’s aunt Kari Johnson told local Minnesota news station KSTP-TV that her nephew had been planning to propose to his partner, Ryan Wolfe.

Ms Wolfe said: “I’ll miss you forever and love you always.”

Ms Johnson added: “We were all really excited because we were really looking forward to their future and he didn’t get a chance to ask her, and then this happened.”

The Panthers retired Mr Johnson’s number 47 jersey following a ceremony before their game with Fife Flyers in December 2024.

Lynn DeGrio, another of Mr Johnson’s aunts, spoke at the event on behalf of the family, describing him as “humble, modest and down to earth”.

Panthers chief executive Omar Pacha also spoke at the ceremony, and said: “Adam was a top player, but he was an even better human being.”

Mr Pacha described Mr Johnson as “a quiet, positive leader, a committed player that guys loved, and a huge, calming presence in the locker room”, and added that he “cannot even imagine the feelings” that all of Mr Johnson’s friends and family “felt and still feel”.

The BBC understands Mr Johnson was not wearing a neck guard when the collision occurred.

Following his death, Sheffield coroner Tanyka Rawden wrote a prevention of future deaths report calling for neck guards in ice hockey to be made compulsory.

She said she was concerned deaths may occur in the future if neck guards were not worn.

Days earlier, the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) announced that neck guards would be mandatory from 2024 onwards.

However, the UK’s top ice hockey division, the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) – which is not under the EIHA’s control – said it would not make the use of neck guards mandatory, but added it would “strongly encourage” players and officials to wear them after Mr Johnson’s death.