A court hearing was held this week for in the assault case against five former members of Team Canada's World Juniors squad from 2018. Some surprising details regarding one of the accused came to light dealing with his hockey career.
Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas decided this week that all five could skip pre-trial hearings in the assault case. Their lawyers will attend on their behalf while the charged players can carry on with their lives. Thomas cited the need for the players to either be at work or to find work now that no NHL team will sign them. His official decision included details on where each of the players are right now, including Alex Formenton, who has retired from pro hockey and has taken a job in construction.
29 days have been set aside for the pre-trial hearings. Lawyers for the crown and defense, along with the judge, will decide what can and can't be presented as evidence to the jury when the actual trial begins. All five have said they will be pleading not guilty, with the trial slated to start in September of 2025
Alex Formenton was a second round draft pick (47th overall) of the Ottawa Senators in the 2017 NHL entry draft. All 109 of his NHL games were played with Ottawa, in which he scored 23 goals and 39 points. In 2022, before the charges against him were made public, Formenton signed with Ambri-Piotta of the Swiss National League and spent the final two seasons of his hockey career there.
POLL | ||
6 SEPTEMBRE | 189 ANSWERS Alex Formenton retires from pro hockey to take job in completely different field Are you surprised that Alex Formenton, formerly of the Ottawa Senators, has retired from pro hockey? | ||
Yes | 64 | 33.9 % |
No | 114 | 60.3 % |
Not sure | 11 | 5.8 % |
List of polls |