Panel: Acquitted 2018 WJC players breached Hockey Canada code of conduct

CALGARY — An independent appeal board has ruled that five players from Canada’s 2018 world junior team acquitted last year of sexual assault breached the Hockey Canada code of conduct.

Hockey Canada said in a release Wednesday that it accepted the board’s recommended continued suspensions and reinstatement dates for Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé and Michael McLeod.

The five were acquitted in July 2025 on sexual assault charges stemming from an encounter with a woman known as “E.M.” at a 2018 Hockey Canada gala in London, Ont., celebrating the national junior team’s world championship gold medal.

But the three-judge appeal board — John Laskin, Katherine Swinton and Thomas McEwen — recommended continued suspensions from Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs for four of the players.

McLeod will not be eligible for reinstatement until Nov. 10, 2030. Foote will be eligible on Nov. 10, while Hart and Dubé will be eligible on that day in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

Formenton is eligible for immediate reinstatement.

Hockey Canada says all other players from the 2018 team are eligible for consideration to participate in any Hockey Canada-sanctioned program, effective immediately.

The suspended players, who all had NHL careers before the charges were filed, have been eligible to sign with NHL teams since Oct. 15 and able to play since Dec. 1.

Hart signed with the Vegas Golden Knights and helped them reach this year’s Stanley Cup final.

Dubé became the second of the five to find NHL work when he signed with St. Louis on July 1.

McLeod played last season with Omsk Avangard of the Kontinental Hockey League.

Foote played last season with the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves and recently had a one-year contract with Farjestad BK rescinded when the Swedish club received criticism for the signing.

Formenton has spent the last three seasons playing in Switzerland.

When it became public in 2022 that Hockey Canada had settled a lawsuit with the woman out of court, Canada’s sport minister at the time, Pascale St. Onge, ordered a forensic audit to ensure to public funds were not used in the settlement, and froze federal funding to the organization for almost a year.

Hockey Canada executives were grilled by MPs on Parliament Hill on how it handled the situation.

“We take note of the independent appeal board’s findings today, including that all five players were in breach of the Hockey Canada Code of Conduct,” Adam van Koeverden, Canada’s current secretary of sport, said Wednesday in a statement.
”This case started a national conversation about safe sport and the problematic culture in men’s hockey. It is the voices of women and survivors, and the courage and bravery it takes to come forward, that have led to changes we are seeing in toxic culture.

“Since 2022, important progress has been made at Hockey Canada to address long-standing systemic failures. Hockey Canada has since become a full signatory to the Canadian Safe Sport Program, with continued commitments to a culture of change.

“Canada’s sport system must prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone involved. National sport organizations must be held accountable as they progress on implementing measures to prevent and address maltreatment, because we know that when safeguards are weak or absent, real harm occurs.

“Our government continues to closely monitor national sport organizations and the systemic changes they are undertaking to ensure a culture of safety, respect, and integrity across all sports.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2026.