NEW YORK — The National Hockey League today issued the following regarding the status of Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, and Michael McLeod, who were each members of Hockey Canada’s 2018 National U-20 Junior Team:
The events that transpired after the 2018 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala in London, Ontario, prior to these players’ arrival in the NHL, were deeply troubling and unacceptable. The League expects everyone connected with the game to conduct themselves with the highest level of moral integrity. And, in this case, while found not to have been criminal, the conduct of the players involved certainly did not meet that standard.
Upon learning of the allegations in May 2022, the League commenced a third-party investigation into their conduct. This investigation was extensive, and included, among other things: interviews with every player on the team and several other relevant parties who were willing to meet with us, and examination of hundreds of documents, videos and texts.
The League paused our process in January 2024, when prosecutors in London, Ontario, announced that Mr. Dube, Mr. Foote, Mr. Formenton, Mr. Hart, and Mr. McLeod would be criminally charged.
After more than one year of pretrial proceedings, the criminal trial commenced in April 2025, and lasted approximately two months, concluding on June 13, 2025. The verdicts finding each of the players not guilty were announced in a lengthy and thorough opinion by Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia on July 24, 2025. In her decision, Justice Carroccia carefully reviewed the record presented to the court.
In relying on both our own investigation, and the conclusions reached by Justice Carroccia in her opinion, and the players’ acquittal, the League has determined that the conduct at issue falls woefully short of the standards and values that the League and its Member Clubs expect and demand.
The League is now confronted with how best to respond to all that has happened — the conduct of the players, the criminal proceeding, and the acquittal of the players.
Each of the players, based on in-person meetings with the League following the verdicts, expressed regret and remorse for his actions. Nevertheless, we believe their conduct requires formal League-imposed discipline.
Given their conduct, we carefully evaluated the players’ acquittal in court and the time spent away from the game. Taking into account that the players have been away from the game for 20 months — including since their acquittals in July — we have determined that the players will be eligible to sign an NHL contract no sooner than October 15, 2025, and eligible to play in NHL games no sooner than December 1, 2025, bringing their total time out of the League to nearly two years.
The League expects and requires that, going forward, each of the players will uphold the standards required of NHL players both on and off the ice.
