All five members of the 2018 national junior team who were charged went on to play in the NHL over the five-plus years between when the alleged assault occurred and when they took leaves of absence from their respective teams after being told to surrender to police in January 2024. All of their NHL contracts have since expired.
Formenton, 25, was a former star with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights before being drafted in 2017 by the Ottawa Senators. He was playing in Switzerland after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with the Senators in December 2022. In November, Formenton filed a $20.5 million lawsuit against his former representatives alleging negligence, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty.
Hart was arguably the biggest star on the 2018 world junior team and had long been viewed as a franchise NHL goaltender. He was the No. 1 goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers when the team announced Hart would be taking an indefinite leave of absence, citing personal reasons.
Dubé was the captain of the 2018 world junior team and had established himself as a full-time member of the Calgary Flames. In August, he signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Cal Foote, 26, is the son of Vancouver Canucks coach Adam Foote. He had been a fringe NHL player over the course of his career and spent the majority of the 2023-24 season in the minor leagues before taking a leave of absence.
McLeod, 27, was in his fifth season with the New Jersey Devils and, like Dubé, has played the 2024-25 season in the KHL while awaiting trial. According to Detective Sgt. Katherine Dann of the London Police Service, the second charge against McLeod stems from the same incident in June 2018.
“The one charge he was laid with is in relation to his own actions and the party to the offense charge is in relation to aiding someone else and committing the offense,” Dann said at a news conference in February 2024.
