Slave Lake mourns star hockey player who died in Edmonton

A young hockey star who recently moved to Edmonton for university is being mourned by his family, friends, and hockey community after his body was found in the city on Sunday.

Tyler Emes, 18, was captain of the Slave Lake Midget Thunder, said Tyler Warman, the town's mayor.

"Slave Lake is a smaller community and I think Tyler touched a lot of lives here," said Warman.

"I don't think there were too many people who didn't know Tyler."

Emes's body was found outside by a bystander near 66th Avenue and 99th Street on Sunday evening. Police have called his death non-criminal.

Emes was a long-time hockey player. He embodied the values of a team captain, Warman said.

"[Hockey] is something that teaches a lot of skills about leadership and working as a team and having a goal. Tyler was the captain of the team and his coaches said he exemplified [that]. He was that leader," Warman said.

"That community has been impacted hard."

One of Emes's coaches wrote on Facebook that the teen was "an infectious kid that everyone wanted to be around."

Emes was a low-maintenance player who could be counted on to "do it all," the coach wrote.

A night out with friends

Friends had posted notes on social media Sunday afternoon, asking people to look for him. They said he had left The Ranch Roadhouse around 1 a.m. that day.

The bar is located just a few blocks from where his body was found.

Sources tell the CBC that Emes's death was caused by hypothermia.

The community of Slake Lake is in mourning, said Warman.

"Our condolences and thoughts and prayers go out to his family and all of his friends. As a community, they'll come together and we'll find a way to honour his memory."

Emes was a student at MacEwan University.