The NHL has announced that the five former players who were recently acquitted in the London 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault trial will be able to return to the league come December.
The five players, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Michael McLeod, will be able to sign an NHL contract no sooner than Oct. 15, 2025, and will be eligible to play no sooner than Dec. 1, 2025, bringing a majority of the players' time away from the league to nearly two years.
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“The events that transpired after the 2018 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala in London, Ontario, prior to these players’ arrival in the NHL, were deeply troubling and unacceptable,” wrote the NHL.
“The league expects everyone connected with the game to conduct themselves with the highest level of moral integrity. And, in this case, while found not to have been criminal, the conduct of the players involved certainly did not meet that standard.”
All five players were members of Hockey Canada’s 2018 National U-20 Junior Team, and upon the NHL learning of the sexual assault allegations in May 2022, the league began a third-party investigation.
The NHL paused its process in January 2024 when prosecutors in London announced that the five players would be criminally charged.
Following more than a year of pretrial proceedings, the criminal trial began this past April and lasted for approximately two months.
On July 24, Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia announced her verdicts, finding each of the players not guilty.
“In relying on both our own investigation and the conclusions reached by Justice Carroccia in her opinion, and the players’ acquittal, the league has determined that the conduct at issue falls woefully short of the standards and values that the league and its member clubs expect and demand,” added the NHL.
The league explained that it took into account the amount of time the players have already been away from the game when deciding their possible return date.
“We are pleased that Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Michael McLeod will have the opportunity to resume their NHL careers. The players cooperated with every investigation,” stated the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
“Upon their full acquittal by Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia, we initiated discussions with the NHL regarding the players’ return to work. To avoid a protracted dispute that would cause further delay, we reached the resolution that the league announced today. We now consider the matter closed and look forward to the players’ return.”
Formenton last appeared in an NHL game in the 2021-22 season and recently re-signed with Ambrì-Piotta Hockey Club in Switzerland, the team he last played with in the 2023-24 season.
Dube spent the 2024-25 season with the Minsk Dynamo of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The former Kelowna Rocket last appeared in an NHL game in the 2023-24 season with the Calgary Flames.
Foote appeared in 38 games with Liptovsky Mikulas HK of the Slovak Extraliga last year. The former Kelowna Rocket appeared in four games for the New Jersey Devils in the 2023-24 season.
McLeod last appeared in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils in the 2023-24 season. He split time with the Nur-Sultan Barys and the Omsk Avangard of the KHL last season.
Hart did not play in the KHL and last appeared in a professional hockey game with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2023-24 season.
