Cherepanov, 19, collapsed Monday on the substitutes' bench after falling on the ice during a Continental Hockey League game in the Moscow Region town of Chekov. He was then taken to a local hospital, but died later that evening.
After a thorough investigation, "the lawyers will give an assessment to the role of managers of the Avangard [hockey] club, organizers of the match, and the medical personnel who gave medical assistance," Vladimir Markin said.
The spokesman added that the autopsy showed Cherepanov had died of heart failure.
The Russian sports daily Sport Express said that Cherepanov had collapsed in the 57th minute of a match between his Avangard side, from the West Siberian city of Omsk, and the Moscow Region club, Vityaz Chekhov.
Nicknamed the Siberian Express, Cherepanov was born in Russia's Altai Territory, in the city of Barnaul, on January 15, 1989. He had played two seasons as a professional, beating in March 2007 the Russia league goal-scoring record for rookies previously held by the legendary Pavel Bure.
He was expected to follow in Bure's footsteps and move to the National Hockey League, having been the New York Rangers' first-round pick in the 2007 NHL draft.
