Five players have been told by London Police Services to surrender in connection with allegations of a sexual assault in June 2018 on a woman by members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team, The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday.
The players, who have not been charged, have been given an undisclosed deadline to report to London, Ont., police, The Globe and Mail reported, citing two unnamed sources. It was unclear what would happen if the players did not surrender before the deadline.
London police issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying a media conference has been scheduled for Feb. 5, referring to the interest surrounding "a sexual assault investigation dating back to 2018." Neither the time or the location were disclosed.
The NHL, NHLPA and Hockey Canada all declined to comment when reached by Sportsnet.
Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that no charges relating to the 2018 incident have been filed in court.
A year ago, London police filed an application with the Ontario Court of Justice stating they had reasonable grounds to believe five members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team had sexually assaulted a woman.
In May 2022, it was revealed that Hockey Canada had paid an undisclosed settlement to a woman in London, Ont., after she alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight men, including members of the 2018 men’s world junior team, in June 2018.
Criticism of how Hockey Canada handled the alleged assault — plus allegations of another one involving the 2003 Canadian team at the World Juniors in Halifax — prompted an overhaul of the governing body’s leadership. Board chair Michael Brind’Amour resigned in August 2022, followed by interim chair Andrea Skinner in early October, followed three days later by CEO Scott Smith’s departure. Hockey Canada’s board members also resigned to make way for a new slate of directors.
Those changes came after a series of parliamentary committee hearings in Ottawa and almost all sponsors permanently suspended support of Hockey Canada, and eight provincial associations halted fee transfers and/or called for wholesale changes to the organization.
Organization officials testified on Parliament Hill in July 2022 that Hockey Canada had paid out $7.6 million in nine settlements related to sexual assault and abuse claims since 1989, not including the 2022 payout to the London plaintiff.
Revelations of a fund partly maintained by minor hockey registration fees to pay for uninsured liabilities, including sexual assault and abuse claims, prompted further criticism of Hockey Canada’s leadership.
Hockey Canada subsequently launched its own investigation of the alleged group sexual assault, led by lawyer Danielle Robitaille of Toronto law firm Heinen Hutchison Robitaille. The Robitaille report was obtained by London police during the course of their second investigation.
The final report was received from an independent adjudicative panel, the findings of which are currently under appeal.
--with files from The Canadian Press
