A memorial grows at the sector in Jasper where Danica Hills, 18, and her best friend and teammate Kayla Peacock, 17, laced up for the last time Monday night — mere hours before being killed while driving home from practice.
The 2 girls played for the co-ed U18 Jasper Bearcats hockey team but lived in Hinton, about 75 km to the east in western Alberta.
Jasper Minor Sports called the teenagers “shiny shining lights” when announcing their deaths and said your entire community is in deep shock.
“These kids have grown up playing mixed teams between Hinton and Jasper for a couple of years now,” said Grant Bradley, president of Jasper Minor Sports.
He said each played with on the local Jasper Grizzlies girls team before opting to hitch the Jasper mixed U18 non-body contact team this yr.
“They were widely accepted and well respected,” he said.
The lack of hockey players on winter roads is, sadly, not a brand new tragedy in Canada. From the Humboldt Broncos crash eight years ago that killed 16 people and wounded 13 others, to the more moderen crash that killed three teenage boys headed to practice earlier this month in southern Alberta, the hockey community is hurting.
“It’s heartbreaking, yeah, it’s very hard,” Bradley said. “To see it here and being directly impacted by it is tough… From a parental point, that’s where I get emotional on it.
“I’ve hugged my kids slightly tighter the last couple days and just, , trying to concentrate on the vulnerabilities that occur with youth.”
A memorial containing the jerseys and hockey cards of Jasper Bearcats players Danica Hills and Kayla Peacock, who died in a collision while going home to Hinton, Alta. on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026.
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Playing hockey was Kayla and Danica’s favourite thing to do, said a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs for the Hills family.
“When you didn’t catch Danica fishing, you’d find her making jokes, dancing to country music, or all the time by Kayla’s side.”
They each loved the Edmonton Oilers, their favourite player was Leon Draisaitl and each girls planned to play in adult beer leagues after aging out of minor hockey.
The post said Danica made probably the most of her short 18 years on earth.
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“Laughing and lighting up every room she walked into, you’re privileged in case you had the chance to know Danica.”
The ladies were close, as evident in an 18th birthday post last month by Kayla’s mom Stacey Peacock who expressed gratitude for her place within the family’s life.
It contained a joint highschool graduation portrait of the 2, plus photos of the women living their lives: at hockey, riding horses, and on the Rimbey Rodeo — where Kayla was named queen in 2025.
2025 Rimbey Rodeo Queen Kayla Peacock in an undated photo.
Credit: Rimbey Rodeo
The Rimbey Rodeo said it was deeply saddened to share the news of her passing.
“Kayla was an incredible ambassador for the game of rodeo, representing our community with grace, kindness, and unwavering dedication. She touched the lives of so many, and her presence shall be profoundly missed,” said a post by the central Alberta organization.
A second GoFundMe for the Peacock family said in a single moment, two shiny, beautiful young lives were taken far too soon.
“Kayla was just 17 years old and getting ready to graduation from Harry Collinge High School in Hinton. She had her whole future ahead of her — dreams forming, milestones approaching, and a life stuffed with promise.”
Flags were lowered to half mast at the highschool in Hinton, where classes were cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday but the varsity remained open for grieving students to assemble and seek counselling.
Each girls were set to graduate this spring.
Flags at half mast at Harry Collinge High School in Hinton, where classes were cancelled after two students died in a collision near Jasper on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026.
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The fundraiser described a shiny young girl with a busy life — a “proud cowgirl and a fierce competitor on the ice” who “brought heart, determination, and grit to each game.”
“Whether she was horseback or lacing up her skates, Kayla lived with strength, passion, and an undeniable spirit.”
A yr and a half ago, the people of Jasper were forced to flee a wildfire that consumed tons of of homes within the small mountain town and now, this tragedy brings about is a brand new wave of shock and grief.
“It’s been now some layering of trauma and stressful situations that individuals are attempting to cope with,” Bradley said. “It’s hard to even decipher immediately, whether that trauma is from this particular incident or it’s from the opposite incidents each communities have witnessed prior to now couple years.”
A memorial hockey game featuring teams from two neighbouring communities will happen Friday for the women, with all proceeds going to their families.
The Hinton Canadians and Edson Eagles will play their second semifinal playoff game on the Jasper arena, and Jasper Minor Sports is holding a 50/50 fundraiser.
“The whole lot that can go to the families of Kayla and Danica and we’re attempting to spread that. We’re just getting the posters done now, the QR codes, and we’ll attempt to spread it across Western Canada to assist support them,” Bradley said.
On Tuesday, Hinton Mayor Brian LaBerge noted his town, Jasper, Edson, and the Yellowhead County area are closely connected and many locals travel between the communities every day for work and other commitments. Bradley echoed that sentiment, specifically between Jasper and Hinton.
“We’re tight-knit communities between the 2 of us.”
The crash happened around 7:15 p.m. Monday, about 45 minutes after practice ended.
The house of the Jasper Bearcats in Jasper, Alta. on Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
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Peacock was behind the wheel of a pickup and Hills was a passenger, when their truck and a semi tractor-trailer collided on Highway 16, east of Jasper.
Each girls died on scene. RCMP said slippery road conditions are believed to be an element.