Former QMJHL players Nicolas Daigle and Massimo Siciliano were sentenced to more than two years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor at a Quebec City-area hotel in 2021.
Warning: This article mentions sexual assault.
Two former major junior hockey players in the QMJHL were sentenced to prison time after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a minor.
In Quebec City court, Nicolas Daigle, 21, received a 32-month sentence in prison, while Massimo Siciliano, 21, received a 30-month sentence, according to French-language newspaper Le Soleil and The Canadian Press.
Daigle and Siciliano had hoped to serve the sentence at home, according to Le Soleil, but that was only an option if the sentence was less than two years, which Judge Thomas Jacques ruled against. The Crown sought 36 months for Siciliano and 39 to 42 months for Daigle.
Both men pleaded guilty in October 2023 to sexually assaulting a teenager overnight on June 6, 2021, while the Victoriaville Tigres celebrated the QMJHL championship. Daigle pleaded guilty to two additional charges of filming and exhibiting a video of the act.
The assault occurred at a hotel in Lac-Beauport, a town north of Quebec City, where the Tigres stayed during the 2021 QMJHL playoffs. Daigle and Siciliano were members of the team at the time. The victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, was an employee at the hotel.
In a statement to Le Soleil, the QMJHL said in French its thoughts are with the victim, who reported a serious act, in which justice was then served. The QMJHL added there is zero tolerance for any forms of abuse.
Prosecutor Michel Berube told reporters after the ruling that he salutes the courage of the victim, and the significant sentences reflect "the gravity of what happened."
"To all sporting associations, particularly hockey associations, there's a strong message," Berube said in French. "We have two individuals who played for (the QMJHL), a prestigious league, who are headed to prison today."
Siciliano's lawyer, Charles Levasseur, said he will appeal the decision, while Daigle's lawyer did not speak to reporters, per Le Soleil.