What we know about the Hockey Canada sexual assault investigation

This story was updated on Jan. 30 to reflect the five players facing charges being identified.

Flyers goaltender Carter Hart has been confirmed as one of the five members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team that is facing charges of sexual assault in London, Ontario.

Almost a week after the Globe and Mail reported that five players from that team had been told to surrender to London police, we finally have confirmation from his lawyers that Hart is indeed involved.

The latest news comes after multiple investigations by both the London police and Hockey Canada into the alleged 2018 assault, as well as an investigation by the NHL. Here’s what we know (and don’t know) about the investigations, and how it might pertain to the Flyers.

» READ MORE: Carter Hart charged with sexual assault in connection to 2018 Hockey Canada incident, lawyers say

Hockey Canada held a fundraising banquet on June 18, 2018, in London that included most members of the 2018 gold medal-winning World Junior team. After the banquet, a 20-year-old woman met members of the team at a local bar and later was allegedly sexually assaulted by several players in a player’s hotel room.

The woman’s stepfather told Hockey Canada on June 19, 2018, that his stepdaughter said she was sexually assaulted by eight hockey players, including members of the 2018 World Junior team, while intoxicated the night before. She alleged that she went to a hotel room with a player where the two engaged in consensual sexual acts before the player “without her knowledge or consent” allowed seven other players, including members of the World Junior team, into the room. According to her 2022 statement of claim, she alleged that those players intimidated her and sexually assaulted her over several hours while she was too intoxicated to provide consent.

In addition to Hart, Calgary center Dillon Dubé, New Jersey’s Cal Foote and Michael McLeod, and former Ottawa Senator Alex Formenton are facing charges. Formenton, who currently plays professionally in Switzerland, turned himself in Sunday. Formenton has not played in the NHL since the 2021-22 season.

Lawyers representing the other four players released statements on Jan. 30 confirming the charges and declaring their clients’ innocence. All five players, including Hart, were members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team and had recently taken a leave of absence from their respective teams.

Hart requested and was granted an indefinite leave of absence from the Flyers on Jan. 23, citing personal reasons. On Jan. 30, his lawyers, Megan Savard and Riaz Sayani of Toronto-based law firm Savard Foy said in a statement that Hart has been charged with one count of sexual assault.

“He is innocent and will provide a full response to this false allegation in the proper forum, a court of law,” the statement by Savard Foy LLP read on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Until then, we will have no comment.”

The 25-year-old has been asked about the investigation at training camp in each of the last two years.

In September 2022, he said, “I can’t really talk about it right now. I wish I could. I’m respecting the process with the NHL and fully cooperating with their investigation. But that’s all I can really say.”

This past September, he made a similar statement about the investigation being ongoing. Flyers general manager Danny Brière told the media Wednesday that he did not know the reason Hart asked for a leave of absence.

» READ MORE: Danny Brière talks Carter Hart, the trade deadline, and keeping the Flyers’ eyes ‘on the future’

The NHL has yet to say but the likelihood is that the five players involved could face league discipline. Commissioner Gary Bettman has the power to suspend players for off-ice conduct, including criminal charges. These suspensions can also come before the resolution of the legal case in situations “where the failure to suspend the player during this period would create a substantial risk of material harm to the legitimate interests and/or reputation of the League,” according to the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

Players are normally paid during such suspensions. Bettman is expected to speak this week in Toronto at All-Star weekend and could provide more updates then.

Players in violation of the above could also face expulsion (permanent or temporary), be assessed fines, or have their contracts voided. The Flyers could also as a team move to have Hart’s contract terminated but since he is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, this measure likely wouldn’t come into play in this situation. If the Flyers decide to move on from Hart, they could simply not present him with a qualifying offer this summer.

Yes. In addition to Brière’s comments last week, the Flyers released the following statement on Jan. 30 following the tweet from Hart’s lawyers:

“We will respond appropriately to this very serious matter when the outcomes of the investigations are made public. The NHL has been very clear that teams should refer all investigation-related questions to them. In the meantime, members of the organization, including Flyers players, will not be commenting further.”

Yes, the London police opened a criminal investigation in June 2018, while Hockey Canada began a third-party investigation at the same time. The initial London police investigation was closed in February 2019. Hockey Canada said the woman would not talk with authorities or with the Hockey Canada investigators. Hockey Canada concluded its initial investigation in September 2020.

In April 2022, the woman filed a lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court against Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League, and eight unnamed players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior team, seeking $3.55 million in damages. The Canadian television network TSN reported in May that Hockey Canada had settled the lawsuit with the woman out of court. London police and Hockey Canada both reopened their investigations in 2022 following the lawsuit, while the NHL began its investigation into the case.

In July 2022, the woman who said she was sexually assaulted confirmed via her lawyer that she would participate in the reopened investigations by the London police and Hockey Canada. There is no statute of limitations for sexual assault offenses in Canada.

After the case was reopened, it was revealed that Hockey Canada used its National Equity Fund, which included money raised from general hockey registration fees across the country, to settle claims, including the alleged sexual assault from 2018. This money was believed to be for developing the game and led to an overhaul of Hockey Canada’s board and a complete reexamination of the organization.

In December 2022, the London police filed an application with the Ontario Court of Justice, saying that they had “reasonable grounds to believe five members of the 2018 team had sexually assaulted a woman.” Most of the 22 players from the 2018 World Junior team released statements denying their involvement and/or acknowledging that they were cooperating with the investigations.

It appears as if this case is finally moving forward after five years of investigations and that the five players above will face criminal charges in Canada for sexual assault. According to multiple reports, the five players have been given instructions to surrender to London police by a certain date.

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have both said they will not comment at this time. Players could be subject to NHL discipline such as suspensions, and if convicted, the players could face jail time. It is believed that all findings from the NHL investigation will be held back until the police investigation is complete. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Inquirer on Jan. 30 that the NHL would not be commenting at this time.

While the situation is fluid, the London police posted on their website Wednesday that there are plans for a Feb. 5 news conference when they will discuss further details relating to the case. The conference will be streamed on tje London police’s social media channels beginning at 2 p.m. ET.