Five 2018 Canadian World Junior players suspended until Dec. 1; can sign NHL contracts starting Oct. 15
The NHL and NHLPA have agreed to suspend the five players found not guilty in the 2018 London sexual assault trial until December 1, as first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
In the wake of an incident in a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ontario, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, and Cal Foote had all been charged with one count each of sexual assault. McLeod was also charged with one count of being a party to the offences. The five players each pled not guilty when the trial opened in April and were found not guilty by Justice Maria Carrocia on July 24.
The agreement between the NHL and NHLPA stipulates that each of the five players have given up their right to appeal the suspensions. Additionally, all five players will become eligible to sign new contracts with NHL teams on October 15.
The NHL released its own statement on the suspensions on Thursday, which reads in part: “The events that transpired after the 2018 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala in London, Ontario, prior to these players’ arrival in the NHL, were deeply troubling and unacceptable. The League expects everyone connected with the game to conduct themselves with the highest level of moral integrity. And, in this case, while found not to have been criminal, the conduct of the players involved certainly did not meet that standard.
“Given their conduct, we carefully evaluated the players’ acquittal in court and the time spent away from the game. Taking into account that the players have been away from the game for 20 months — including since their acquittals in July — we have determined that the players will be eligible to sign an NHL contract no sooner than October 15, 2025, and eligible to play in NHL games no sooner than December 1, 2025, bringing their total time out of the League to nearly two years.
“The League expects and requires that, going forward, each of the players will uphold the standards required of NHL players both on and off the ice.”
In its own statement on Thursday, the NHLPA said it is “pleased” that the five players will have the opportunity to resume their careers, noting that they reached the agreement to “avoid a protracted dispute” and now consider the matter closed.
Hart, Dube, Foote, and McLeod last played in the NHL during the 2023-24 season, but they were each placed on leave by their former teams when the charges were laid. Formenton last played for the Ottawa Senators in the 2022-23 season.