4 NHL players charged with sexual assault in 2018 case, lawyers say
NHL players Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils and Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames have been charged with sexual assault in connection with an alleged assault by several members of Canada's 2018 world junior team.
Attorneys representing Hart, McLeod, Foote and Dube said Tuesday that each player has been charged with sexual assault by police in London, Ontario. They denied any wrongdoing on behalf of their clients.
Hart's lawyers, Megan Savard and Riaz Sayani, said their client is facing one count of sexual assault, adding, "He is innocent and will provide a full response to this false accusation in the proper forum, a court of law."
"[McLeod] will be pleading not guilty and will vigorously defend the case," attorneys David Humphrey and Seth Weinstein said in a statement. "We ask that the public respect Mr. McLeod's privacy, and his family's privacy. Because the matter is now before the court, we will not comment further at this time."
Dube's lawyers, Louis Strezos and Kayleigh Davidson said he "maintains his innocence (and) will defend the allegations in court."
Messages sent to the Devils and Flames seeking comment were not immediately returned.
The latest developments come two days after former NHL player Alex Formenton surrendered to police to face charges, according to one of his lawyers. Attorney Daniel Brown also said Formenton is innocent "and asks that people not rush to judgment without hearing all of the evidence."
Five players from Canada's 2018 world junior team — McLeod, Dube, Formenton, Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers and Cal Foote of the Devils — have taken leaves from their current clubs. Agents for all five players have not spoken publicly.
London Police have scheduled a news conference for Monday to address the situation. Asked about a report from Canadian network TSN on Tuesday naming those five players as the ones facing sexual assault charges, a spokesperson for police told The Associated Press by email no updates on the investigation will be provided before the news conference.
The Devils did not give a reason last week when announcing McLeod and Foote were granted indefinite leaves of absence. McLeod, who turns 26 on Saturday, is in the middle of his fourth full season with the team.
The Flames said Dube was on indefinite leave to tend to his mental health. The 25-year-old has played in the NHL with Calgary since 2018.
London police launched an investigation in 2022 after it was disclosed that Hockey Canada had settled a lawsuit with a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by eight members of that gold medal-winning team at a gala. London is approximately halfway between Toronto and Detroit.
The NHL opened its own investigation in 2022 and has pledged to make those findings public. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly last week said the league would issue a statement if and when it is appropriate