Derek Boogaard, former player for the Minnesota Wild, was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment on Friday according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. As of this writing, there was no reported cause of his death.
Boogard, 28, was drafted by the Wild in the seventh round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft and played for the team from 2005 through the 2009-10 season before being signed by the New York Rangers last off-season.
According to Russo, Boogaard recently sent him a text that noted the former Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native "was also ecstatic that both his brothers, Aaron and Ryan, were going to be in Minneapolis staying with him this week."
In five seasons with the Wild, Boogaard scored two goals and assisted on twelve additional goals while mostly acting as the team's fan-favorite enforcer.
Thoughts and prayers go out to Boogard's family and friends from the staff at SB Nation Minnesota.