Michigan State University hockey player Preston Korytkowski has died after a car crash on Interstate 95 in Virginia. He was 22.
The crash happened early Saturday morning, August 15, in Caroline County. Virginia State Police said Korytkowski was driving a Honda CR-V north on I-95 when the vehicle struck the rear of a tractor-trailer at around 3:40 a.m.
The tractor-trailer had become disabled and had pulled over near the right side of the highway before the collision.
Korytkowski died at the scene. The driver of the tractor-trailer suffered minor injuries.
Police are continuing to investigate what led to the crash.
For those who knew Korytkowski, the news has been difficult to take in.
Preston Korytkowski Remembered by Michigan State Hockey Community
He was a forward and captain of Michigan State’s Division II club hockey team, where he wore No. 4. Soon after his death, the team shared a tribute remembering him not only as its captain, but as a teammate and friend.
“Posting this with a heavy heart. Our teammate, friend and Captain Preston sadly passed away last evening,” the team wrote in a social media post.
Messages from former coaches, friends and people close to the team quickly followed.
One former coach described Korytkowski as an “amazing person” and said he was keeping Korytkowski and his family in his prayers.
Friends remembered him in similarly personal terms. One called him “the best human,” while another described him as “the absolute best guy around.”
Many of the messages referred to Korytkowski by his nickname, “Hands.”
One tribute summed up the feeling around the team, saying that “Hands” had a way of making the people around him better simply by being there.
Preston Korytkowski’s Four-Year Career at Michigan State
Korytkowski spent four seasons with Michigan State’s Division II hockey program.
Playing as a left winger, he appeared in 103 games and recorded 10 goals and 12 assists during his time with the team.
But the reaction to his death has focused far more on the person he was than on his statistics.
As captain, Korytkowski had become an important presence in the locker room and around the program. The messages shared after his death repeatedly described someone who was well liked, deeply valued and remembered for the way he treated the people around him.
His sudden death leaves his family, friends, teammates and the wider Michigan State hockey community mourning a young life lost far too soon.
The crash remains under investigation.
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Trained in war zones, raised in Newark, and seasoned in city hall, Jordan blends grit reporting with deep integrity. From floods to finance bills, they’re always first on scene and last to leave.
