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LONDON, CANADA – JULY 24: Carter Hart arrives at the London Courthouse, in London, Ontario, Canada on July 24, 2025. Former world junior hockey players Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Michael McLeod, have all pleaded not guilt
LONDON, Ontario – Former Philadelphia Flyer Carter Hart and four other former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team have been acquitted on charges related to a sexual assault case that dated back to June 2018.
The backstory:
In 2022, allegations of a sexual assault involving players from 2018’s Team Canada World Juniors team emerged to the public. The woman testified in May that she was naked, drunk and scared when four of the men showed up unexpectedly in her room at the Delta Hotel London Armouries and felt the only “safe” option was to do what they wanted. Prosecutors argued the players did what they wanted without taking steps to ensure she was voluntarily consenting to sexual acts.
London Police closed their initial investigation without pressing any charges in 2019, then later in 2022, the complainant sued Hockey Canada. While the organization settled the suit, police later re-opened their investigation. The NHL also launched their own investigation during this time.
The player’s identities were not made public until 2024. Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, and Callan Foote, were all active players in the NHL. Alex Formenton was the only one not on an active NHL roster. He had previously played for the Ottawa Senators, but was not on the team when the allegations became public.
McLeod, who was charged with both sexual assault and being a party to a sexual assault, had recorded two videos of the woman, one of which saying it was “all consensual”. She said in court that she did not feel safe at the time and that was not how she truly felt.
What we know:
Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia acquitted all 5 of the men accused, saying the complainant’s allegations lacked the credibility needed to justify the charges.
Defense attorneys during the trial argued that the complainant wanted a “wild night” and was an active participant in the sexual activity. During the case, she testified, “I made the choice to dance with them and drink at the bar, I did not make the choice to have them do what they did back at the hotel.”
Carroccia said she made her decision based off the evidence and stated that the complainant had a “tendency to blame others” when it came to inconsistencies in her story. She also said that the complaint’s allegations lacked credibility and that she went to “great lengths” to prove how drunk she was the night of the incident. It was said that the claim in question was not supported by the surveillance video from earlier that night as well as testimonies.
According to Toronto Star, the complainant’s lawyer that she will carefully review the decision made by the judge as it is still in the appeal period. The judge came to the conclusion alone, as two of the previous juries were dismissed.
Since the incident became public view, all the accused who were active at the time were put on leave from the NHL. Of the accused, three have still continued to play hockey internationally.