Five unnamed members of Canada's 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.
The charges stem from an alleged sexual assault at a Hockey Canada golf and gala event on June 18, 2018, in London, Ont.
Five players from Canada's 2018 world junior team have taken a leave of absence from their current clubs in recent days.
Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames and Swiss club Ambri-Piotta's Alex Formenton have all been granted leave in recent days.
TSN reported in May of 2022 that a woman referred to in court documents as E.M. had settled a $3.55 million lawsuit against Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League, and eight unnamed former CHL players.
Against a backdrop of building public pressure, London police in July 2022 reopened their investigation into the case after initially closing it without laying charges in February 2019.
In October of 2022, a Toronto law firm hired by Hockey Canada to investigate the alleged sexual assault was ordered by a London judge to turn over all of its findings on the incident, according to court documents unsealed in December of 2022.
The National Hockey League has also been inducting its own investigation into the allegations.
A parliamentary committee convened a series of hearings to demand more information from Hockey Canada about both the case and about how Hockey Canada has historically managed sexual assault allegations.
The scandal led to the departure of Hockey Canada chief executive Scott Smith and the organization’s entire board. A new nine-member board was elected in December of 2022.
Wiht files from the Canadian Press and TSN