World junior hockey players’ sex assault case to be before London court on Monday

LONDON, Ont. — The sexual assault case of five players from Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team is set to be before a London, Ont., court on Monday.

A court document shows Dillon Dube, 25 of British Columbia, Cal Foote, 25 of Colorado, Alex Formenton, 24 of Barrie, Carter Hart, 25 of Alberta, and Michael McLeod, 25 of Mississauga, are each charged with one count of sexual assault.

The document shows McLeod is also facing an additional charge of sexual assault for “being a party to the offence.”

It says the charges relate to an alleged sexual assault on a person identified only as E.M. on June 19, 2018.

Lawyers for each of the players have said their clients will defend themselves against the allegations.

London, Ont., police are expected to hold a news conference on their investigation into the case on Monday afternoon.

Dube, Hart, McLeod and Foote all play for NHL teams. Formenton, a former Ottawa Senators forward, has been playing in Switzerland.

McLeod played for the Mississauga Steelheads (soon to be the Brampton Steelheads) before he was drafted by the New Jersey Devils. Hart went to the Philidelphia Flyers. Foote won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021 before a move to the Nashville Predators and then the Devils. Dube plays for the Calgary Flames.

The accused players have all been allowed to go on indefinite leave from their pro clubs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2024.

The Canadian Press