CALGARY — Four former members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team will remain barred from Hockey Canada programs for periods ranging from three months to more than four years after an independent appeal board found they breached the organization’s code of conduct.Hockey Canada announced Wednesday that the appeal process stemming from a November 2023 adjudicative report had concluded, nearly a year after all five players were acquitted of sexual assault charges in an Ontario court.The appeal board upheld findings against Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé and Michael McLeod but recommended different suspension periods for each player.Formenton was reinstated immediately. Foote remains suspended until November 10, 2026, Hart until November 10, 2027, Dubé until November 10, 2028, and McLeod until November 10, 2030.Hockey Canada accepted the recommendations.The organization did not disclose which provisions of its code were breached or explain why the five players received substantially different penalties. It said the investigation was conducted under its former Investigation and Adjudication Procedures, which require related documents to remain confidential to the extent possible.The ruling is separate from the criminal case in which the five men were charged following an encounter at a London, Ont., hotel in June 2018.Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia acquitted all five players on July 24, 2025, finding the Crown had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. McLeod was also acquitted of an additional charge of being a party to sexual assault.The Crown later declined to appeal the verdict.The players had attended a Hockey Canada gala in London from June 17 to 19, 2018, after winning gold at the world junior championship earlier that year..Hockey players acquitted in 2018 sexual assault trial to be eligible for NHL teams in Oct..London police initially investigated the allegations but closed the case in February 2019, citing insufficient evidence to lay charges. Police reopened the investigation in July 2022 after Hockey Canada came under intense scrutiny over its handling of the allegations and a settlement reached with the complainant.The controversy triggered parliamentary hearings, the departure of senior Hockey Canada officials and the loss of federal funding and corporate sponsorships. Charges were laid against the five players in early 2024.Hockey Canada’s internal code-of-conduct investigation began in 2018. An independent adjudicative panel delivered its report on Nov. 10, 2023, but an appeal was filed shortly afterward.The appeal hearing was later postponed until the criminal trial had concluded. The players remained suspended from Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs during that process.Hockey Canada said its investigation did not find that any other member of the 2018 team breached its code. Those players are immediately eligible for consideration in Hockey Canada programs.However, any former member of the team seeking to play for Canada internationally will face an enhanced screening process, including a third-party review of the investigation’s findings.The appeal board consisted of former judges John I. Laskin, Katherine E. Swinton and Thomas J. McEwen.Hockey Canada said the decision closes the matter and pointed to governance, education and sport-integrity changes introduced since 2022.“We recognize our role and responsibility to be a leader in delivering a sport that is rooted in safety, inclusiveness and respect,” the organization said in its announcement.
