A coroner is scheduled to review evidence in the case of Adam Johnson, the former NHL player who died while playing in England in October after an opponent’s skate cut his neck.
Sheffield senior coroner Tanyka Rawden will privately review the evidence on Friday, according to The Athletic, which will determine the next steps in the case.
A man was arrested on Nov. 14 on suspicion of manslaughter in connection to Johnson’s death, though the name of the person arrested was not released. He was later released on bail.
Matt Petgrave is the Sheffield Steelers player whose skate cut Johnson’s neck during a game against Johnson’s Nottingham Panthers.
South Yorkshire Police opened an investigation after the Oct. 28 incident, which the Panthers described as a “freak accident.”
Johnson’s aunt Kari said in November his family wanted “justice” for the “reckless” action that led to Johnson’s death.
“We’re just going to have to let it play out and see what happens,” Kari Johnson told The Mirror after an arrest was made in the case.
“Whatever they’d decided, I would have had to live with it. But I’m just glad they are being diligent with doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
Johnson, a 29-year-old from Minnesota, played 13 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins across the 2018-19 and 2019-20 NHL seasons.
Johnson was planning to propose to his girlfriend, Ryan Wolfe.
“To me, you were everything,” Wolfe said during a eulogy on Nov. 6 at the Hibbing Memorial Arena in Minnesota. “You were my home, my best friend, my sounding board, my rock, my safe haven and the love of my life. I’m never going to stop thinking about you, missing you and loving you until we can be together again. I love you.”
