On Tuesday, five members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior Championship team are expected to go on trial in London, Ont, after being charged with sexual assault 15 months ago.

Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote and Dillon Dube pleaded not guilty to their charges.

Four of the five players were under contract with NHL teams at the time the charges were laid – Carter Hart with the Philadelphia Flyers, Dillon Dube with the Calgary Flames, and Michael McLeod and Cal Foote with the New Jersey Devils. Alex Formenton was playing in Switzerland’s National League after last playing for the Ottawa Senators during the 2021-22 season. 

As the scheduled two-month trial is set to begin, let’s review the key information and events that people should know.

The Alleged Incident

Despite members of the gold-medal-winning 2018 Canada world junior team being involved, the alleged incident didn’t occur until over five months after the world juniors on June 18, 2018. This was the date of the Hockey Canada Foundation Gala & Golf event, a celebration that featured Canadian teams that had won gold at IIHF events in the previous season, culminating in a celebrity golf tournament the following day on June 19.

Just days after the event, a woman, whose identity is protected by court order but is referred to in court documents as E.M, made a report to London police alleging she had been sexually assaulted in a local hotel room following the Hockey Canada event. E.M alleged that, while at Jack’s Bar in London, she became intoxicated before returning with one of the defendants, referred to in her filings as “John Doe 1,” to a room at the London Delta Armouries Hotel.

The two then engaged in sexual activities, but afterwards, seven other men invited by John Doe 1 without the knowledge or consent of E.M. allegedly entered the room and sexually assaulted E.M. for several hours. Before E.M. was able to leave the room, she was allegedly coerced into making a set of videos stating that all that had happened was consensual. At the time, the men were not identified by name, just that they were members of the 2018 Canadian world junior team.

Hockey Canada Settlement 

According to a later Parliamentary testimony by former Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney, the day after the alleged assault, while the players teed off for the golf portion of the Hockey Canada event, the victim’s then-stepfather contacted Hockey Canada’s human resources department and reported the assault. What followed was a series of investigations into the matter, both by the London police and a third-party investigation conducted by Hockey Canada. E.M. reportedly refused to speak to the authorities or third-party investigators, according to Hockey Canada, so no charges were filed at that stage.

The next significant event wouldn’t be until April 2022, when the victim filed her statement of claim with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (OSCJ). The statement outlined the alleged events that had transpired on the night of June 19, 2018. Through the statement, E.M. was seeking $3.55 million in damages from Hockey Canada, the CHL and eight players, "including but not limited to members of the Canada U-20 Men's Junior Hockey Team from the 2018 World Junior team."

One month later, Hockey Canada reached an out-of-court settlement with the victim for an undisclosed amount. Former Hockey Canada president Scott Smith later testified in July 2022 that Hockey Canada used money from player fees to build a fund that was used for nine settlements over the years, including in the case with E.M. Renney retired on June 30, 2022, while Smith left the CEO position in October 2022, and the entire board of directors resigned as well.

By this point, the news of the alleged sexual assault and settlement had already reached the public, after initially being reported by TSN reporter Rick Westhead on May 26, 2022. After the parliamentary hearings and audits of Hockey Canada had taken place in the following months, many of Hockey Canada’s sponsors began distancing themselves from the governing body.

In July, Hockey Canada released an open letter to the public with multiple statements, including that they would be conducting a full governance review, creating a new confidential complaint mechanism, requiring team staff, coaches, volunteers and more to participate in mandatory sexual violence and consent training. Most importantly, regarding the 2018 case, they would be reopening the investigation into the alleged assault in London.

London Police Confirm Sexual Assault Charges Against Five 2018 Canadian WJC Players London Police Service confirmed that Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton face sexual assault charges in relation to an investigation into allegations involving members of the 2018 Canadian world juniors team.

Players Charged And Where The Cases Stand

In November 2023, under the new president and CEO, Katherine Henderson, Hockey Canada announced the findings of the new third-party investigation had been reviewed and that the results were under appeal.

In January 2024, it was reported by The Globe and Mail that five players from the 2018 world junior team were asked to surrender themselves to the London police. When this news was released, Formenton and Dube had already taken leaves of absence from their teams, and McLeod, Foote and Hart quickly followed suit.

Ultimately, the five men were all charged with one count of sexual assault each. McLeod was also charged with sexual assault by being a party to the offence. All five pleaded not guilty to the charges, and they are innocent until proven guilty.

McLeod and Dube opted to play hockey in the KHL in 2024-25. Three of the five men accused – McLeod, Dube and Formenton – attended pre-trial hearings, which allowed the lawyers and judge to decide which evidence would be presented in the upcoming trial.

On Tuesday, jury selection will take place. Westhead reported that jurors will have their cell phones taken away and will stay in a London hotel with phones and televisions removed once the jury begins deliberations.

For any defendant to be convicted, the 12 jurors must unanimously agree that the defendant’s guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Athletic reported that other former members of the 2018 world junior team who weren’t charged may be called upon to testify during the trial. Some potential players are currently playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, if any of these players do need to testify, they could be accommodated, likely through a video appearance rather than in person.