Former Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton has turned himself in to London police, Sportsnet has confirmed.
Five players were told last week 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.
Formenton appears to be the first to publicly name himself as one of those players told to surrender, turning himself in on Sunday morning while accompanied by his lawyers.
Robin Doolittle of the Globe and Mail was the first to report the story.
“The London Police have charged several players, including Alex Formenton, in connection with an accusation made in 2018. Alex will vigorously defend his innocence and asks that people not rush to judgment without hearing all of the evidence,” Formenton’s legal team, which includes Lindsay Board, said in a statement.
The allegations have not been tested in court.
The 24-year-old Formenton is a second-round pick of the Ottawa Senators (2017) who played parts of three seasons with the team between 2018 to 2022. The club did not sign him to a new contract after the 2021-22 season, prompting him to eventually sign on with Ambri-Piotta of the Swiss hockey league. He recently took a leave of absence from the team.
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.
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.
