Former Senator Alex Formenton looks to have left hockey amid a sex assault investigation
The allegations suggest that the woman met the players at a Richmond Row bar and later returned to the hotel with one of them. She claims that others joined them in the room and that she was sexually assaulted by several men.
Former NHL player Alex Formenton appears to have stepped away from his hockey career amid ongoing legal issues. Formenton, 24, faces sexual assault charges alongside four other members of Canada’s 2018 gold-winning junior hockey team.
He is currently residing in the Barrie area, working in construction, and undergoing training in heavy equipment operation and administration.
The details of Formenton’s current employment were included in Acting Regional Senior Justice Bruce Thomas's decision to excuse all five players from attending pre-trial motions in their high-profile Superior Court of Justice trial in London, except for those requiring oral testimony.
This decision, which had a publication ban lifted last week, was released to the media. The first set of motions was scheduled to be heard on Thursday and Friday, with additional hearings planned to start on November 25.
Formenton, Dillon Dubé (25), Carter Hart (25), Michael McLeod (26), and Cal Foote (25) are charged with sexual assault involving an 18-year-old woman at the Delta Armouries hotel in London on June 19, 2018, following a Hockey Canada gala. McLeod also faces an additional charge of sexual assault "by being a party to the offence."
The players are expected to plead not guilty and have opted for a judge and jury trial.
The case has been expedited through the court system. A trial is set to begin on September 8, 2025, though it may start earlier, on April 22, 2025, if pre-trial matters are resolved.
Formenton previously played for the Ottawa Senators and spent last season in Switzerland. The other four players had NHL contracts but were placed on leave following the charges in January.
None had their contracts renewed by the end of June. They are now residing outside Canada or outside Ontario.
McLeod and Dubé have signed with the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), with McLeod playing in Kazakhstan and Dubé in Belarus. Foote, formerly with the Devils, is in Denver, Colo., while Hart, the starting goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers, is training in Alberta and plans to move to Nashville, Tenn.
In his decision, Thomas acknowledged the players' need to work to cover personal and legal expenses and noted that each player had provided affidavits expressing confidence in their legal counsel and committing to not using their absence as grounds for appeal.
Thomas also stated that it is unusual to exempt accused parties from pre-trial motions but justified it due to the players’ representation by experienced counsel who will appear on all applications and maintain close contact with their clients.
He indicated that the ruling could be revisited if their presence becomes necessary.
The allegations suggest that the woman met the players at a Richmond Row bar and later returned to the hotel with one of them. She claims that others joined them in the room and that she was sexually assaulted by several men.
Although the London police and Hockey Canada investigated the incident, no criminal charges were filed initially.
The woman later filed a $3.5-million lawsuit, which Hockey Canada settled privately in May 2022. The police reopened the investigation, leading to the current charges.
