A former Saanich Predators player remembered by coaches and teammates as a unique talent whose passion for the game inspired others has died after being struck by a delivery truck in Oregon.
In a release, Eugene, Or. police said a call was received around 3:54 a.m. the morning of May 13 of a “severely injured person lying in the middle of road.”
When officers arrived, the 21-year-old man was already deceased. While investigating, the 30-year-old delivery truck driver returned to the scene.
On Instagram, Oregon Hockey identified the person as Dayton Clarke, who played for the Oregon Ducks at the time of his death.
View this post on Instagram
“He was a phenomenal hockey player, he was a great baseball player. His talents spoke for themselves, obviously, he was big, strong and quick,” said one of Clarke’s former coaches Mike Chewpoy with the Victoria Mariners. “Sort of a rare breed that way.”
The team in Oregon has set up a GoFundMe for Clarke to return him to Victoria and pay for the funeral costs.
“It’s definitely tragic,” said the Victoria Grizzlies’ Assistant General Manager Suneil Karod.
“When anybody that young passes, it’s sad, but someone that you know and such a small community here in Victoria, I think everyone is still processing what happened.”
CHEK News previously spoke with Clarke about his love of both hockey and baseball.
WATCH FROM 2018: Mariners’ Clarke balancing junior hockey and premier baseball
A number of Clarke’s former teams have shared posts mourning his loss on various social media platforms.
“The boys would describe him as a beauty, as hockey players say. That’s the best way to describe him,” said Karod.
“They idolized him. They wanted to be like him, for sure,” added Chewpoy.
We are heartbroken to hear the passing of Dayton Clarke.
Dayton played in the VIJHL from 2017 – 2021.
We would like to send our condolences to the family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/lC99c8HkpO
— VIJHL (@vijhlofficial) May 14, 2023
Laura Brougham
