A lawyer for Alex Formenton confirms the former NHL player is facing charges in London, Ontario. Ottawa Senators' Alex Formenton skates during an NHL hockey game, Friday, April 29, 2022, in Philadelphia. Five players from Canada's 2018 world junior team have taken a leave of absence from their respective clubs in recent days amid a report that five members of that team have been asked to surrender to police to face sexual assault charges. New Jersey’s Michael McLeod and Cal Foote, Philadelphia’s Carter Hart, Calgary’s Dillon Dube and Formenton have all been granted indefinite leave, with the absences announced this week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Matt Slocum
LONDON, Ont. – Pro hockey player Alex Formenton, a former member of the Ottawa Senators who currently plays in Switzerland, is facing charges in London, Ont., his lawyer said Sunday.
“The London Police have charged several players, including Alex Formenton, in connection with an accusation made in 2018,” lead counsel Daniel Brown said in an email. “Alex will vigorously defend his innocence and asks that people not rush to judgment without hearing all of the evidence.”
The Globe and Mail reported Formenton turned himself into London police earlier in the day.
The newspaper, citing two unnamed sources, reported earlier in the week that charges are connected to an alleged group sexual assault of a woman in a London, Ont., hotel room in 2018. None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Formenton is one of five players from Canada’s 2018 world junior team who recently went on indefinite leave from their pro clubs amid a report that five members of that roster were asked to surrender to face sexual assault charges.
Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote – both of the New Jersey Devils – and Dillon Dubé of the Calgary Flames were also granted leave by their respective NHL teams in recent days.
Formenton is believed to be the only player who has surrendered.
“We will provide all updates at our press conference scheduled for February 5, 2024,” London Police spokesperson Matthew Dawson said Sunday in an email.
A message left with Formenton’s agent was not immediately returned.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2024.
