Russian hockey star collapses, dies at 19

Moscow -- Alexander Cherepanov, a 19-year-old Russian hockey star who had been drafted by the New York Rangers, collapsed and died during a game near Moscow.

Cherepanov fell on the ice during a match Monday between his team, Avangaard, which is based in Omsk, and Vityaz Chekov, a Moscow-area team, the Novosti news agency reported. He then collapsed on the substitutes' bench and died a few hours later in a hospital.

An autopsy report released Tuesday gave the cause of death as congestive heart failure and said that his heart weighed twice the average.

"The death of Russia and Avangard's brightest young player, Alexander Cherepanov, has affected us all deeply," his team said in a statement.

Cherepanov was nicknamed the Siberian Express. He played professionally in Russia for two seasons.

The Rangers selected Cherepanov as a first-round draft pick in June 2007. No announcement had been made about when he would join the team.

When Russia got knocked out of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in the semifinals this year, Cherepanov gave an interview to a reporter.

"I've got my whole career ahead of me," he said. "You have unsuccessful tournaments, and you have successful ones."

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.