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Phil The Thrill
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Terrible story. My condolences to his girlfriend and family.
Saginaw Spirit forward Terry Trafford has been found dead.
The body of the 20-year-old Toronto native was discovered by Michigan State police on Tuesday evening.
Trafford had been missing since March 3 when he left the team's arena and was expected to head back home to Toronto.
Prior to going missing, Trafford had been disciplined by the team with club president Craig Goslin saying that Trafford had been sent home for a "violation of rules."
Trafford's girlfriend told QMI on Sunday that he had battled depression for several years.
The Spirit released a statement on Tuesday evening.
"It is with very heavy hearts that we announce that late this afternoon we were informed by the Michigan State Police that the body of Terry Trafford has been found," read the statement. "Our deepest condolences are with Terry's family and his friends both in Ontario and Michigan. Terry played on our team and was a member of the Spirit family for the last four years and he will be missed. We have reached out to Terry's parents and will look to provide them with support over the coming days. In addition, we met with team players and staff this evening, along with our team chaplain. On behalf of the Spirit, we would like to thank the police who were looking for Terry, the media for providing updates and all who provided information. The coming days will be difficult and we will endeavor to keep the community and media apprised of arrangements and other details."
CHL president and OHL commissioner David Branch also released a statement on Trafford's death.
"On behalf of the Ontario Hockey League, our teams, players and staff I want to express our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Terry Trafford. This is a tragic situation for all involved. We will work closely with the Saginaw Spirit to provide any support required to the players and staff during this very difficult time.
"In addition, all of our teams will be offering support to their players. I would like to thank investigators in both Ontario and Michigan, the media for informing the public and for all who provided information. We will cooperate fully with any investigations."