The trial for five players on the Canadian 2018 world junior hockey team charged with sexual assault is set to begin on April 22, 2025, according to a judge’s ruling Tuesday.
The Superior Court jury trial will be held in London, Ont., and is anticipated to last eight weeks, beginning immediately after jury selection. Judge Bruce Thomas, who has overseen most pre-trial hearings, made the determination during a virtual meeting with Crown and defense attorneys on Tuesday in London. An alternative trial date in September 2025 was rejected by the judge.
The case previously went through judicial pre-trial hearings over the summer, some conducted before Justice Renee Pomerance. Acting Regional Senior Justice Thomas now presides over the trial hearings.
Former NHLers Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Carter Hart, and Alex Formenton each face one count of sexual assault. Michael McLeod faces two counts, including aiding someone else in the offense.
The players were not re-signed by NHL teams over the summer, making them unrestricted free agents. Dube and McLeod signed with KHL teams; reports indicate McLeod is no longer with his KHL team.
In May 2022, a report revealed that Hockey Canada had settled a civil lawsuit with a woman in London who alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight men, including members of the 2018 men’s world junior team, following an event honoring the team in June 2018. A preliminary investigation launched by the London Police Service in the summer of 2018 closed in February 2019, with investigators concluding insufficient evidence existed to lay charges. Alongside widespread scrutiny of Hockey Canada’s handling of the situation, London police reopened its investigation in July 2022.
The next set of pre-trial motions is scheduled to begin November 25 in London.
