Clockwise from top left: New Jersey Devils' Michael McLeod, Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, Dillon Dubé of the Calgary Flames, Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers and Alex Formenton of HC Ambri-Piotta.Matt Slocum, Bruce Bennett, Rich Lam, Maddie Meyer, Andrea Branca/AP Photo/Getty Images/Just Pictures/Sipa USA
Five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team who have been accused of attacking a woman in a hotel after a Hockey Canada fundraiser have now been charged with sexual assault.
Four of the men, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart and Cal Foote – all now players with the National Hockey League – confirmed the charges against them through their lawyers on Tuesday. Their involvement in the case had not previously been confirmed publicly.
Their former junior teammate, Alex Formenton, who now plays professionally in Europe, turned himself in to police in London, Ont., on Sunday, and his lawyer confirmed the charge shortly afterward.
Legal teams for each of the accused players have issued statements promising that they will vigorously defend themselves against the allegations.
Who are the 2018 world junior players charged with sexual assault?
Last week, The Globe and Mail reported that London police had ordered five players to surrender themselves to authorities to face charges in connection with the 2018 incident, in which a woman identified in court documents as E.M. told police she was assaulted by some of the junior team’s members in a downtown London hotel.
She alleges she had consensual sex with one of the players, but that, without her knowledge, he invited teammates into the room. E.M. reported the incident to police immediately, but an initial investigation was closed without charges in February, 2019.
The case only became public knowledge in May, 2022, after TSN reported that Hockey Canada had settled a $3.55-million lawsuit brought by E.M. against the organization, as well as the Canadian Hockey League and eight unnamed players.
The Globe later revealed that Hockey Canada, the sport’s national governing body, had maintained a multimillion-dollar reserve known as the National Equity Fund to pay out settlements in cases involving sexual-assault allegations – a fund that was fed by registration fees, without the knowledge of parents and players.
It was during this firestorm, in July, 2022, that the London police reopened their investigation.
The case has shaken the foundations of one of the country’s most prominent sports organizations, forcing difficult questions about the culture within a beloved game and triggering parliamentary hearings and high-level departures within Hockey Canada. Both the NHL and Hockey Canada launched internal investigations, the results of which still have yet to be released.
Background: Court filing reveals new details about alleged Hockey Canada group sexual assault
All five of the players now facing charges took leaves of absence from their respective teams last week. The first was Mr. Dubé, who plays for the Calgary Flames. On Jan. 21, the team announced Mr. Dubé was being granted an indefinite leave to deal with mental health issues, and that he was in the care of professionals. On Tuesday, the Flames said in a statement that they were not aware of the pending charges against Mr. Dubé at the time of his request for a leave of absence.
Mr. Hart was the next to step back from his NHL team. Two days after Mr. Dubé's leave was announced, the Philadelphia Flyers said Mr. Hart had also requested an indefinite leave for personal reasons.
On Tuesday, the Flyers said in a statement that they were aware of news reports about Mr. Hart’s charge, and would not be commenting.
“We will respond appropriately when the outcomes of the investigations are made public. The NHL has been very clear that teams should refer all investigation-related questions to them,” the team said.
Mr. McLeod and Mr. Foote play for the New Jersey Devils. Their leaves of absence were announced by the team on Jan. 24, shortly after Mr. Formenton’s Swiss club, HC Ambri-Piotta, revealed he too would be taking a leave for “personal reasons.” Mr. Formenton, who previously played with the Ottawa Senators, signed with the team after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with the Senators in December, 2022.
In a statement released Sunday, Mr. Formenton’s lawyers, Daniel Brown and Lindsay Board, said, “Alex will vigorously defend his innocence and asks that people not rush to judgment without hearing all of the evidence.”
On Tuesday afternoon, TSN was the first to report the identities of the other four players involved. Within hours, lawyers representing each of them issued statements to the media.
“We act for Carter Hart and confirm he has been charged with one count of sexual assault. He is innocent and will provide a full response to this false allegation in the proper forum, a court of law. Until then, we have no comment,” Mr. Hart’s lawyers, Megan Savard and Riaz Sayani, said in a statement.
Mr. McLeod is being represented by David Humphrey and Seth Weinstein, who on Tuesday said their client would be pleading not guilty and “vigorously” defending himself. “None of the evidence has been presented, let alone tested in court. We ask that the public respect Mr. McLeod’s privacy, and his family’s privacy,” they wrote.
Louis Strezos and Kaleigh Davidson, who represent Mr. Dubé, also issued a statement Tuesday evening.
“The London Police Service have charged Mr. Dubé with sexual assault. He will plead not guilty and maintains his innocence. He will defend the allegations in court,” they wrote.
The last player to be identified was Mr. Foote. His lawyer, Julianna Greenspan, said in a statement that “Cal is innocent of the charge and will defend himself against this allegation to clear his name.”
“What is most critical at this time is the presumption of innocence, and the right to a fair trial that everyone in Canada is entitled to,” she added.
The status of the NHL’s investigation into the events surrounding the alleged assault is unknown. Commissioner Gary Bettman, who is expected to speak with reporters this week in Toronto, where he will be attending All-Star Weekend, has said for more than a year that the probe is nearly complete. On Tuesday, the NHL declined to comment on the charges against the players.
Hockey Canada’s third-party investigation has been complete for more than a year. The results of the probe were turned over to an adjudication panel. That panel’s review was finished last year, but Hockey Canada has said the results are being appealed, so the final report can’t be released publicly.
With a report from Marty Klinkenberg
Robyn Doolittle