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3d ago

NHL Sets Dec. 1 Return and Oct. 15 Signing Date for Acquitted Hockey Canada Players

A joint NHL–NHLPA decision follows a review that deemed their conduct below league standards despite acquittals.

A composite image of five photographs show former members of Canada's 2018 World Juniors hockey team, left to right, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart as they individually arrived to court in London, Ont., Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
Carter Hart leaves court after a judge found him and his teammates not guilty in the trial involving players from Canada’s 2018 gold medal–winning world junior hockey team, who were charged with sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room, at the Superior Court of Justice in London, Ontario, Canada, July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/File Photo
Carter Hart, one of five teammates on Canada's 2018 gold medal-winning world junior hockey team charged with sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room, leaves the Superior Court of Justice in London, Ontario, Canada April 22, 2025. REUTERS/Brett Gundlock/File Photo

Overview

  • - The agreement keeps Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Michael McLeod suspended until Dec. 1, with the players waiving any right to appeal to avoid a commissioner’s hearing.
  • - All five are unrestricted free agents and may sign NHL contracts starting Oct. 15 after being ruled ineligible to play while the league completed its post‑verdict review.
  • - The NHL said the events were “deeply troubling and unacceptable,” noted each player expressed remorse in meetings, and imposed formal discipline despite the July not‑guilty rulings.
  • - The league cited a third‑party inquiry begun in May 2022 that included player interviews and review of hundreds of documents, videos and texts.
  • - According to multiple reports, players can begin team conditioning on Nov. 15, and the Crown previously confirmed it would not appeal the July 24 acquittals.