'A nightmare of every parent': Tributes pour in for ice hockey players killed in Canada crash

Tributes have poured in for three teenage junior ice hockey players who were killed in a vehicle crash in the Canadian province of Alberta.

Officials said the three players, identified as 18-year-olds JJ Wright and Cameron Casorso, both from British Columbia, and 17-year-old Caden Fine, an American from Alabama, were headed to practice when the crash happened.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney paid tribute to the young athletes calling the incident "a tragedy".

"A nightmare of every parent, every teammate, family, friends," Carney, who played ice hockey in his youth, told reporters on Tuesday. "My heart goes out to the families of the victims and the team."

The players were travelling from the town of Nanton, where they live, to Stavely, a small town in southern Alberta, for practice on Monday.

The crash occurred between the players' vehicle and a lorry (also known as a semi- truck) around 11:00 local time, said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Alberta.

The two vehicles collided at an intersection, police said. All the three players died at the scene. The driver of the lorry, a 40-year-old man, received minor injuries.

Police said they were investigating the cause of the crash.

"I cannot find the words," said Nanton mayor Jen Handley in a statement on social media. "It feels like someone is stepping on my chest."

The players were living with billet families in Nanton, Handley said, who offer housing for young athletes as they train and play.

"We don't just 'host' these boys. They become part of our homes: another plate at the table, another pair of skates by the door, another son we worry about when the roads are bad and it's late," she wrote.

"To their families there is no sentence that can make this less brutal," Handley added. "Your sons mattered, and they will be spoken of with love in our towns for a long time to come."

The three played for the Mustangs, a team part of a division within the US Premier Hockey League that is "known for developing players into college-ready athletes", according to the league's website.

In a statement, the league said it was devastated by the players' death. "There are no words that can adequately express the depth of our grief," it said.

The players were also honoured with a moment of silence before a Monday night National Hockey League game between the Calgary Flames and the Toronto Maple Leafs.