Ex-NHLer Formenton wanted in alleged 2018 sexual assault turns himself in to London police

A former member of the Ottawa Senators and Canada’s world junior hockey team has turned himself into police in London, Ont., in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a woman in 2018.

Alex Formenton walked into the police headquarters Sunday morning accompanied by his attorneys.

Formenton is allegedly among five players from Canada’s 2018 World Juniors hockey team who have been asked to surrender to police to face sexual assault charges after a woman alleged she was assaulted in a hotel room following a gala event in London in June 2018.

“Alex will vigorously defend his innocence and asks that people not rush to judgment without hearing all of the evidence,” read a statement from his lawyer Daniel Brown, without getting into the specifics of the charges.

Formenton, who took a leave of absence last week from the Swiss hockey club he has been playing for this season, last played for the Senators in the 2021-22 season.

Police in London are scheduled to speak publicly about the charges on Feb. 5.

The players surrendering would mark the first time police have laid any charges in a scandal surrounding Hockey Canada that began gathering national media attention nearly two years ago.

The governing body came under a firestorm of criticism when news broke in the spring of 2022 that a woman alleged eight players — including members of the 2018 world junior team — sexually assaulted her in a hotel room following a gala event in London in June 2018.

The woman who made the allegation was seeking more than $3.5 million in damages from Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League, and the unnamed players. Hockey Canada settled the case for an undisclosed amount.

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 team had sexually assaulted a woman.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report