Four ice hockey players acquitted of sexual assault in 2025 should remain barred from Hockey Canada-sanctioned programmes after an independent appeals board found they breached the organisation’s code of conduct.
The board recommended that Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Carter Hart remain suspended from Hockey Canada programmes, while Alex Formenton is eligible for immediate reinstatement.
All five former members of Canada’s under-20 junior hockey team were found not guilty last July over allegations relating to an incident in London, Ontario, in 2018.
The decision does not affect their eligibility to play in the National Hockey League, which operates separately from Hockey Canada. The NHL conducted its own investigation and allowed all five players to sign contracts with its teams again late last year.
Foote will be eligible to return to Hockey Canada programmes on 10 November this year. Hart and Dube will become eligible on 10 November 2027 and 10 November 2028 respectively, while McLeod’s suspension runs until 10 November 2030.
Officials did not explain why the reinstatement dates differed.
The players had been accused of sexually assaulting a woman, identified in court as EM, in a hotel room after attending a gala in 2018. Justice Maria Carroccia acquitted them in July 2025, finding that EM’s evidence was not credible or reliable.
The case prompted a national debate about safe sport and the culture within men’s hockey in Canada.
Adam van Koeverden, Canada’s secretary of sport, said the case had helped drive a wider conversation about safe sport and the need to address what he described as long-standing systemic failures within national sports organisations.
