Adam Johnson’s throat was cut by defenseman Matt Petgrave’s skate during an on-ice collision in a game between the Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers on Oct. 28, 2023.
English police made an arrest on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the death of Johnson.
It has not been announced who was arrested in connection with Johnson’s death due to UK laws.
Petgrave, 31, was given a standing ovation by fans at the Steelers’ Nov. 12 game, though he did not play.
Here’s a look at Petgrave’s hockey past.
He’s from Toronto, Ontario
Matt Petgrave was born on Jan. 29, 1992 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
He has played hockey since he was a child, and played for the Toronto Titans U18 AAA team in 2008-2009 when he was 16.
He then moved to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) where he played in 243 games over four seasons for the Niagara IceDogs, Owen Sound Attack and Oshawa Generals, posting 34 goals and 157 points.
In 2011, he attended a prospect camp with the Chicago Blackhawks, and then joined the Washington Capitals for one two years later.
In 2013, Petgrave began playing college hockey at the University of New Brunswick, a public university located in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, helping the school win national championships in 2016 and 2017.
He’s played for minor-league hockey teams
After college, Petgrave made his professional debut in 2017 with the Brampton Beast of the ECHL, a third-tier professional development league.
During his first pro season, he was loaned to several AHL teams, playing for the Laval Rocket, Belleville Senators and Syracuse Crunch of the top North American minor league.
In 2018, Petgrave was suspended indefinitely by the ECHL, for his actions in an Apr. 7 game against Kalamazoo.
A gamesheet from the matchup shows Petgrave was ejected for abuse of officials.
He was reinstated during the league’s postseason and went on to play for the Florida Everblades and Kansas City Mavericks in 2020-21 before moving to Europe the following season, splitting time between Slovakia’s HK Spisska Nova Ves and Czechia’s HC Dynamo Pardubice.
He then signed in the EIHL in 2022-23, quickly becoming a fan favorite on the heels of a nine-goal, 48-point effort in his first season, as well as being the league’s most-penalized player with 129 infractions in 54 games.
The Adam Johnson incident
Adam Johnson had his neck slit in a gruesome scene that resulted in his death after being rushed to the hospital.
In video of the incident, the 6-foot-1, 201-pound Petgrave appears to lift his right leg after bumping into another player.
His skate would hit Johnson in the neck, the resulting damage would would take the 29-year-old ex-NHLer’s life.
The move looked odd as the leg did get peculiarly high.
DailyMail reported an old video of Petgrave using a similar unorthodox move in 2009, where he threw his left elbow and right trailing leg as he was passing a player on the other team.
The player who Petgrave hit went spiraling in the air, landing on his head and neck area.
Since then, an investigation has unfolded and an arrest was made, although it is unclear who was arrested.
South Yorkshire Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall said in a statement, “Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy, and we have been carrying out extensive inquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances.”