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Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube and New Jersey Devils forward Michael McLeod and defenseman Cal Foote, four members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior Hockey Team , were charged with sexual assault in connection with an incident that occurred in 2018 in London. Ont., each player’s lawyers confirmed to The Athletic.
Each attorney issued separate statements Tuesday.
“We can now confirm that more than five and a half years after EM’s initial report to police, the London Police Service has charged Mike McLeod with sexual assault,” read the emailed statement from David Humphrey and Seth Weinstein. .
The statement said McLeod denies any criminal wrongdoing and “will plead not guilty and vigorously defend the case.”
The statement added: “None of the evidence has been presented, much less proven in court. We ask that the public respect Mr. McLeod’s privacy and the privacy of his family. As the matter is now before the court, we will not be making any further comment at this time.”
Later Tuesday, a lawyer representing Dube issued a similar statement.
“The London Police Service charged Mr Dube with sexual assault. He will plead innocent and maintain his innocence,” read Louis Stress’ statement. “He will defend the accusations in court. We ask that you respect the privacy of Mr. Dube and that of his family.”
A statement on behalf of Hart, attributed to his lawyers Megan Savard and Riaz Salani, said: “We act on behalf of Carter Hart and confirm that he has been charged with one count of sexual assault. He is innocent and will give a full response to this false accusation in the proper forum, a court of law. Until then, we have no comment.”
Julianna Greenspan, representing Foote, said in a statement Tuesday night: “Cal is innocent of the charge and will defend himself against this allegation to clear his name. Most critical right now is the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial that everyone in Canada is entitled to. As the matter is before the court, I ask that the privacy of Cal and his family be respected. There will be no further comment at this time.”
McLeod, Dube, Hart and Foote are the second, third, fourth and fifth players publicly identified in the case after Alex Formenton’s lawyer confirmed the former Ottawa Senators player was charged by London police on Sunday. The Globe and Mail reported that five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team were ordered last week to surrender to police to face sexual assault charges.
On Sunday, London police said The Athletic that they will “provide all updates” related to the case at a press conference scheduled for February 5.
The Globe and Mail reported that the pending charges are related to an alleged sexual assault of a woman by several players in a London hotel room on June 19, 2018, following a Hockey Canada Foundation event.
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The allegations became public in a lawsuit filed by the woman against Hockey Canada in April 2022. In the complaint, filed in Ontario Superior Court, the woman alleged that she was assaulted by eight players in a hotel room after the Hockey event. the foundation. Members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team were among those accused of assault in the lawsuit.
Hockey Canada and the woman settled the lawsuit in May 2022.
After the lawsuit became public, London police and Hockey Canada reopened their investigations into the incident and the NHL also launched an investigation. The initial London police investigation was closed in February 2019, with no charges brought.
When reached for comment, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league will not make a statement “at this time.” The NHLPA also declined to comment.
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Hart, 25, appeared in 26 games for the Flyers this season. On January 24, Hart requested and was granted an indefinite leave of absence from the Flyers for personal reasons.
Dube, 25, had appeared in 43 games with the Flames this season. On January 21, the Flames released a statement that read: “Dillon Dube has been granted an indefinite leave from the team while he addresses his mental health. Dillon is under the care of health professionals and we request that his privacy be respected during this period.”
On Tuesday, the Flames issued another statement saying they have “now learned” of the allegations against Dube and that the organization “was not aware of the pending charges at the time Dillon’s leave request was granted.”
McLeod, 25, has appeared in 45 games for the Devils this season. Foote, also 25, split his time between the New Jersey Devils and their AHL farm team in Utica this season. He played 24 games with Utica and four with New Jersey. Last week, the Devils issued a statement that both McLeod and Foote had requested and been granted indefinite leave from the team. The Devils declined to comment further on The Athletic On tuesday night.
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