Slaying of Santa Margarita High Coach 'Devastates' Players

Saturday night was supposed to be a celebration.

Santa Margarita High School's hockey team had plans to hold a going-away party for Joona Kunnas, a foreign-exchange student from Finland who was drafted by the Tri-City Storm of the U.S. Hockey League.

Instead, stunned players gathered Saturday afternoon at a teammate's home in Coto de Caza to mourn the death of their strength and conditioning coach, Elvis Kechechian, 26, who was .

“Our team is just devastated,” said assistant coach and general manager Mitch O’Brien, who talked with the players around 3 p.m. “One of our guys was supposed to work out with him today. The thing about [Kechechian] is, he worked them out in the gym three days a week, and they loved him. He was hard, but he was so frickin’ nice. He was such a good man to these kids. He would come to games, warm them up. We won league two years in a row; we’ve had kids getting offers all over the place to play hockey. He did a great job. We’re at a loss.”

Trained as a gymnast, Kechechian lived in Mission Viejo and also owned a personal training business in Ladera Ranch.

Santa Margarita High's website described him "a young man on a mission to do something constructive about the way we live our lives and harmonize with the world around us."

O'Brien added, “My relationship with Elvis was purely professional, but he was a good man, devoted to these kids, really proud to be associated with Santa Margarita. He told my wife a couple months ago, ‘I could be having the worst day and I show up and work out with these kids and everything’s better.' "

School activities director Bryan Kretzmer agreed. “From talking to the players who worked with him, Elvis was a great guy, worked incredibly hard, made them better athletes and was a motivator,” said Kretzmer, who oversaw ice hockey as well as the school's two other non-CIF-sanctioned sports, roller hockey and equestrian. “I never heard anyone say anything bad about him."

Kechechian was hired in 2010, after the hockey team's debut season. The program was 22-17-6 overall and 4-0 in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League. The Eagles represented California at the High School Nationals in Chicago.

"A large part of the success of the team was because of Elvis and his commitment," head Coach Craig Johnson said. "Elvis' enthusiasm and dedication to the program will never be forgotten. He was constantly striving to help each and every player reach their full potential as athletes and as individuals. He will missed."

Kretzmer added: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Elvis and his family. It’s a terrible loss for our school and the community."