5 Team Canada WJC Players Indicted By London, Ontario PD

5 Team Canada WJC Players Indicted By London, Ontario PD

The Team Canada scandal has finally made a major breakthrough. Police in London, Ontario, are telling five players from the 2018 World Junior team that they must surrender, as they face charges of sexual assault, TSN reporter Rick Westhead first reported Wednesday morning.

Breaking: Five members of the 2018 world junior hockey team have been told to surrender to London, Ont., police to face charges of sexual assault, The Globe and Mail reports, citing unnamed sources.
The Globe reports the players, who have not been charged yet, have been given a…

— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) January 24, 2024

This development comes a day after Flyers goalie Carter Hart took an indefinite leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. Remember, similar concerns were echoed during the offseason last Summer.

Regardless, the identity of the five players is not really a mystery. A couple of days earlier, Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube also stepped away from the team, citing mental health. Playing in Europe, former Sens forward Alex Formenton left Swiss team HC Ambrì Piotta and is en route to Canada. The Devils also granted leaves for forward Michael McLeod and defenseman Cal Foote today. Check out all of the official releases below:

pic.twitter.com/Alw1REKhNK

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 21, 2024

pic.twitter.com/tVyj3U07dF

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 24, 2024

❌ L’HCAP comunica che Conz ha subìto un infortunio agli adduttori e sarà assente almeno 3 settimane.

È stato concesso un congedo a tempo indeterminato a Formenton per ragioni personali e il giocatore è rientrato in Canada.

➡️https://t.co/27zGuyxnsC pic.twitter.com/AZLIttYbjd

— HC Ambrì Piotta (@HCAP1937) January 24, 2024

The total there brings it to five players. Hart, Formenton, Dube, McLeod and Foote. Obviously, they have the right to a trial and representation, but if the allegations are true, they will never play hockey again.

Here is a brief timeline over the past few years. On June 19, 2018, Team Canada had a fundraising gala in London, Ontario. A woman known by the initials “E.M.” was reportedly sexually assaulted by eight men following the gala.

In 2019, it was initially closed without charges before public outcry made officials reopen it in 2022. London police found “reasonable grounds” to believe that five men sexually assaulted the victim at the gala. Furthermore, E.M. filed a lawsuit against Team Canada and the CHL that was quickly settled. There is no doubt a lot more is coming down the pipeline in the following days and weeks.

The sexual assault scandal surrounding Team Canada is gaining considerable steam. Expect some more news for this in the near future.

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