Major Development Announced for the Players Involved in 2018 Hockey Canada scandal

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Graham Montgomery
November 13, 2024 (9:26)

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The Canadian legal system just announced a trial date for the players involved in the 2018 Hockey Canada world junior championship scandal.

We got a major update in the Hockey Canada scandal today as a date has finally been set for the trial.

The case has been in limbo for several months at this point and all of the players have been out on bail, with some of the players even signing overseas as we wait.

Of course, all of them will have to return to Canada before the trial begins, so they will miss the end of the regular season at the very least.

Sportsnet reporter Paul Grant noted the most important details of the announcement.

"The trial for five players on the Canadian 2018 world junior hockey team charged with sexual assault will begin on April 22, 2025, a judge ruled on Tuesday.

The Superior Court jury trial is set for London, Ont., and is expected to take eight weeks, immediately following the selection of the jury.

Judge Bruce Thomas, who has presided over most of the pre-trial hearings for the case, determined the trial date during a virtual meeting with the Crown and defence attorneys on Tuesday in London. An alternative trial date in September 2025 was rejected by the judge."

Judge Bruce Thomas will be presiding over the trial. Thomas is the senior regional justice, and his presence in the case has been highly anticipated.

As a reminder, the five players facing charges are Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, and Alex Formenton.

All of them except McCloud are facing a single charge. The former Devils forward is facing an additional charge for his role in the incident.

Each of these players are now facing the consequences of their actions. They have let their teammates down by effectively abandoning them to defend themselves.

Perhaps none of them have had a larger negative impact on their team than Carter Hart. Since his departure in the middle of last season, the Flyers have continued to have a void in goal.

Currently, the team is relying on a tandem of Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov, not exactly the most confidence inspiring duo.

Hopefully, justice will be served properly, regardless of the outcome of the trial. Perhaps depending on the result, we may even see some of these players again. We probably should not count on it though.