In relation to his involvement in an investigation into an alleged sexual assault by multiple members of Canada’s 2018 world junior squad, former NHL player Alex Formenton turned himself in to police on Sunday.
Police in London, Ontario, have accused Formenton and several other players, according to confirmation provided to The Associated Press by Formenton’s legal team. Formenton’s lawyer, Daniel Brown, stressed his client’s desire to “vigorously defend his innocence” and cautioned against making snap decisions without taking into account all available information, even if the precise charges against Formenton were not made public.
The events resulted from news that five members of Canada’s world junior squad, which won a gold medal in 2018, were requested to turn themselves in to London police to face charges of sexual assault. As a result, Formenton and other players were ordered to take leave from their present clubs.
Formenton, a former player for the Ottawa Senators who is currently with HC Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland, was given permission to return to Canada for an indeterminate period of time due to personal reasons.
NHL players Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, Carter Hart, and Dillon Dube also took a leave of absence in addition to Formenton, having just paused their professional commitments.
To address the problem, London Police have set a news conference for February 5 and have refrained from making any other comments until then.
Before relocating to Europe during the 2021–2022 season, Formenton, 24, played 109 games for the Senators.
The probe comes after Hockey Canada settled a lawsuit in 2022 involving a woman who claimed that eight members of the gold medal-winning team from 2018 had sexually assaulted her. This complaint sparked ongoing judicial proceedings and public scrutiny.
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