Five players from Canada's 2018 world junior hockey team have been charged with sexual assault. According to the Globe and Mail.
They were told to turn themselves in to police in London, Ont., to face charges, the report said.
Player names have not been disclosed, but the 2018 team includes the Devils' Michael McLeod and Cal Foote, the Flyers' Carter Hart and the Flames' Dillon Dube, who currently plays for a club in Switzerland. That includes former Senators forward Alex Formenton. Ambri Piotta — Has been given indefinite leave by the team in the last four days.
There is no statute of limitations for sexual assault in Canada.
The case relates to an incident that allegedly occurred after a June 2018 fundraising gala for Hockey Canada, during which the accused players were recognized for winning the World Junior Championship.
A group of players have been accused of mass sexual assault.
More than a year ago, London police filed an investigation with the Ontario Court of Justice, saying they had reasonable grounds to believe five members of Canada's 2018 World Junior Hockey Team sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel room. I applied.
The initial investigation did not result in any charges, and the investigation was closed in February 2019.
In April 2022, a woman identified as EM reportedly filed a lawsuit against Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League, and eight unnamed players, seeking $3.55 million in damages.
She claimed she met some of the players at a bar after the gala and returned to a hotel near London, where they engaged in consensual sex.
However, she alleges that seven other members then entered the room and sexually assaulted her.
EM said she was “directed, manipulated and intimidated” into remaining in the room despite crying and trying to leave, fearing physical harm.
The story gained national attention and sparked an uproar when Hockey Canada quietly settled the lawsuit in April 2022, about a month after it was filed, TSN reported at the time.
London police reopened the investigation about a year and a half ago.
