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A former NHL draft pick has seemingly walked away from hockey and is pursuing a career in construction as he and four of his Canadian World Juniors teammates face charges of sexual assault, according to reports.
Alex Formenton, 24, “moved on from a hockey career” and lives in Barrie, Ontario, where he is training in heavy equipment operation and administration, after spending the last two years playing professional hockey in Switzerland, the CBC reported citing court records.
In February, Formenton — a second-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2017 — was one of five Canadian junior players charged with sexual assault.
The Ontario Police also charged Devils’ Michael McLeod and Cal Foote, Flyers’ Carter Hart and Flames’ Dillon Dube.
The five players are accused of sexually assaulting a woman inside a hotel room at a fundraising gala in London in June 2018.
The woman alleged she was assaulted by eight members of the team when she sued Hockey Canada in 2022.
Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit, and then an investigation revealed the organization had two secret slush funds to pay out settlements on claims of sexual assault and abuse.
Police dropped the case in 2019 but reopened the investigation in 2022, revealing it found reasonable and probable grounds to bring the charges, which could bring jail time if there are convictions.
Formenton’s new employment was listed in court records made public on Thursday from an August trial, when Acting Regional Senior Justice Bruce Thomas ruled to excuse the five players from having to attend pre-trial motions in the Superior Court of Justice case.
During the 29 scheduled court dates the players were allowed to miss, lawyers will discuss the evidence that would and wouldn’t be presented during the trial, according to CBC.
“The applicants have each provided an affidavit wherein they acknowledge the importance of the proceedings and waive the necessity of attending the hearings,” Thomas wrote. “It is clear each of the applicants has a need to work or find work not only to sustain themselves, but to pay their expenses, which at this point include legal fees.”
Lawyers for the five players revealed they would be pleading not guilty to the charges.
They have elected for a jury trial scheduled for Sept. 8, 2025 but could begin as early as April 2025 if all pre-trial matters are met.
Thomas defended his decision to grant the players an excuse from the pre-trial hearings “skilled junior hockey players” who stopped playing after being charged with the sexual assault earlier this year.
“They are unable to play in the National Hockey League at this point,” the judge added.
McLeod and Dubé are both under contract with the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Kazakhstan and Belarus and Thomas noted the travel needed in the league and the time zone difference would make it difficult to participate in the “pre-trial applications.”
Foote, who currently resides in Denver, and Hart, living in Alberta, are not currently playing but have indicated that their training must continue at a high level if they are to have some hope of continuing as professional hockey players.”
The five players were granted indefinite leaves from their pro teams after they were charged.
The five men were each charged with one count of sexual assault.
McLeod faces a second charge of being party to the offense.
Formenton appeared in 109 games with the Senators between 2017 and 2022 scoring 23 goals with 16 assists.
In 2022, Formenton, a restricted free agent, left the NHL and signed a contract with HC Ambrì-Piotta of Switzerland’s National League.
He appeared in 46 games and tallied 20 goals across two seasons before the team granted him a leave of absence to surrender to London police.
