Former Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Kesler is headed to trial to face two misdemeanor counts of criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree, The Athletic reported Thursday.

The case was originally filed against Kesler on Oct. 23, when the 41-year-old pleaded not guilty over alleged events that transpired on Jan. 1, according to court records.

Report: Former NHLer Ryan Kesler Pleads Not Guilty To Fourth-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct Charges Former NHL center Ryan Kesler faces two misdemeanor charges, according to a report.

However, district judge Marc Barron found that the prosecution successfully established probable cause against Kesler in the preliminary examination.

Kesler allegedly made contact sexually with a 16-year-old girl “through force or coercion and/or (had) reason to know the victim was physically helpless,” according to the complaint.

The alleged victim was a friend of Kesler's oldest daughter and is now 17 years old.

She shared the details of this case with the court during a two-hour span on the stand, The Athletic reported. She said she had fallen asleep on a couch beside Kesler at a New Year’s Eve party at his home. 

The complainant woke up with Kesler’s foot allegedly rubbing against her crotch and her foot in an equal position over his shorts, The Athletic reported.

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Kesler’s attorneys called out the accuser’s recollection of the night and his alleged actions as inconsistent. They further argued that the local children’s advocacy center should’ve stopped the case from going to trial.

“Ryan emphatically denies the allegations and is completely innocent of the charges,” Kesler’s attorney, Robert Morad, told The Athletic.

“The charges are baseless and he is prepared to fight them vigorously in court. As the legal process begins, we ask for respect for his privacy and for the integrity of the judicial system. We are confident, when all the facts and circumstances are presented, that he will be fully exonerated.”

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