The Vancouver Canucks defenceman died when his motorcycle collided with a lorry on a rural highway outside of Lemaque, New Brunswick, 870 kilometres (540 miles) northeast of Montreal.

The Canucks had high hopes for Bourdon, selecting him in the first round (10th overall) in the 2005 National Hockey League's entry draft.

‘We are deeply saddened by today's news and on behalf of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization, I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to Luc's family,’ Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said.

‘Luc was an extremely talented player with a bright future. He brought great passion to the game and was a valued member on and off the ice.’

Bourdon scored two goals in 27 games with the Canucks this past season but spent the majority of the season with Vancouver's development team, the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

Said Paul Kelly, executive director of the NHL Players' Association, ‘All members of the NHLPA and our staff are deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of Luc Bourdon.

‘Through hard work and perseverance, Luc was able to realize his dream of becoming an NHL player. Luc had a promising career ahead of him and he will certainly be missed.’

Bourdon was an integral part of Canada's gold-medal winning team at the 2006 World Junior Hockey Championship.