NEW YORK – New York Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov collapsed and died during a KHL game in Russia on Monday. He was just 19 years old. Reports indicate Cherepanov, who played with former Ranger superstar Jaromir Jagr on Avangard Omsk of the KHL, collapsed three minutes before the end of the game and passed away shortly thereafter.

Russian newspaper Gazeta reports Cherepanov’s heart stopped while he was on the bench, and resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. His specific cause of death has not been determined.

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather released the following statement: “We are extremely saddened by the tragic passing of Alexei. On behalf of the New York Rangers organization, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family. Alexei was an intelligent, energetic young man, with tremendous talent and an extremely bright future.”

Reports out of Russia say that Jaromir Jagr, who emerged as a mentor to Cherepanov in Russia, was in tears after the game. Jagr and Cherepanov were close, as the veteran worked closely with Alexei on the finer points of hockey in hopes of acquainting Cherepanov with the Rangers and the NHL.

Cherepanov was widely expected to join the New York Rangers for the 2009-10 season. Jay Grossman, Cherepanov’s agent, said the player was “looking forward to being a Ranger.” Grossman added he was “absolutely devastated” by the tragic news when contacted by the New York Times.

“His ability to communicate in English was limited, but what I remember most about him was his smile,” Grossman said. “He was a happy kid.”

Cherepanov appeared in 106 career games in Russia, scoring 40 goals and adding 29 assists, while tallying 61 penalty minutes. In his rookie season of 2006-07 with Avangard Omsk, he tallied 29 points – more than Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin, Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, and Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk each tallied in their first RSL season.

Cherepanov was selected 17th in the 2007 NHL entry draft by the Rangers.