Former NHL player Alex Formenton turned himself in to police in London, Ontario, Canada, in connection with an investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2018 that involved members of Canada’s World Junior hockey team, the Globe and Mail reported Sunday.
His attorney, Lindsay Board, confirmed to the Toronto Star in a statement that Formenton is among the players who have been charged in the case, though Board did not reveal the specific charges they will face.
“The London Police have charged several players, including Alex Formenton, in connection with an accusation made in 2018. Alex will vigorously defend his innocence and asks that people not rush to judgment without hearing all of the evidence,” Board told the Star.
Formenton, who spent parts of four seasons with the Ottawa Senators before becoming a free agent, took a leave of absence from his professional team in Switzerland this week to return to Canada.
Also in the past week, four current NHL players requested and were granted leaves from their teams. Similar to Formenton, those four players were members of the 2018 Canada World Junior team.
Five members of that team have been ordered to turn themselves in to authorities in London, Ontario, and the 24-year-old Formenton was believed to be the first to do so.
Authorities have not named the players under suspicion but Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames, Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils all went on leave within days of each other.
The London Police Service declined to comment but has scheduled a news conference on Feb. 5 to address the case.
TSN reported in May 2022 that a woman identified only by her initials in court documents settled a $3.55 million lawsuit she had filed against Hockey Canada and other defendants, including eight unnamed players.
The woman reported that the alleged assault took place in a London hotel room in June 2018 after a Hockey Canada Foundation fundraiser.
After news of the settlement, Canada’s Parliament convened committee hearings to learn more about the case and as details emerged, sponsors fled, and several board members and top executives of Hockey Canada were removed.
London police later reopened the investigation amid public outcry.
–Field Level Media