Five former junior hockey players found not guilty of sexual assault will not be back in the NHL, at least not now.
The league issued a statement Thursday evening in response to the acquittal of the five players in a London court, indicating that Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, and Dillon Dubé, are ineligible for NHL status.
"The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behaviour at issue was unacceptable," read the statement. "We will be reviewing and considering the judge's findings. While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the league."
The five men, all of whom had played in the NHL at one time or another, were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a London hotel room in 2018, when the players were attending a Hockey Canada gala celebrating their win at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
London police closed the investigation without charges in 2019, but the probe was reopened in 2022 after word got out that Hockey Canada had settled a lawsuit with the complainant.
An Ontario Superior Court judge in London found them not guilty on all charges in a marathon hearing on Thursday.
In response, the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) said that the league’s decision to keep the players ineligible does not mesh with the collective bargaining agreement.
"After missing more than a full season of their NHL careers, they should now have the opportunity to return to work," read the NHLPA statement. "The NHL's declaration that the players are 'ineligible' to play pending its further analysis of the court's findings is inconsistent with the discipline procedures set forth in the CBA. We are addressing this dispute with the league and will have no further comment at this time."
-with files from Scott Kitching
