'Devastating': Teen killed in Langford crash identified as South Island hockey player

Community members and the Peninsula Panthers Junior Hockey Club are mourning the loss of a young man who died after a crash in the Langford, B.C. area Monday night.

On Tuesday, the Panthers said they were devastated by the loss of 18-year-old Grant Gilbertson.

"I drove to the rink for practice around 5:30 p.m. and the roads were absolutely fine but when I arrived in the parking lot at the Panorama I could see that it looked really greasy," said Panthers owner Pete Zubersky in a release Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, West Shore RCMP said an 18-year-old man had died in a crash at the intersection of Sooke Road and Humpback Road on Monday evening.

Police believe winter weather played a role in the crash.

Zubersky says Gilbertson's mother was concerned for him after hearing news of the crash Monday, and no one on the team had heard from him by the time practice began.

"The news arrived with 20 minutes left in the practice, it was devastating to say the least," said Zubersky. "I cannot explain the grief we felt as a group, it was palpable."

"I am just so saddened by this situation and I know that Grant's family and friends have had their hearts ripped out," he said. "This is really a true tragedy in every sense of the word and our organization's every thought, every second of every day is on Grant and his family."

The Panthers and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League have decided to continue to play the season, after speaking with Gilbertson's family.

"We strongly believe that the players need to be together, to be able to work through their grief with the support of each other," said Zubersky.

He adds that the team has received approval from the Gilbertson family to play, as it's believed that's what the teen forward would have wanted.

"The Panthers were extremely important to Grant and I know in my heart that he would want his teammates to play," said Zubersky.