Two of the five former Team Canada world junior hockey team players awaiting trial on charges in connection with an alleged group sexual assault from 2018 have signed contracts to play in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Astana Barys, a team based in Kazakhstan, announced Friday on Twitter the signing of former New Jersey Devils player Michael McLeod to a deal that expires at the end of May 2025.
The Belarus-based KHL team Dinamo Minsk also has listed on its roster Dillon Dubé, a former Calgary Flames player who, like McLeod, is among the five Canadian junior players facing sexual assault charges. McLeod is also charged with one count of being party to the offence.
The other three players on the team facing charges are Cal Foote, Carter Hart, and Alex Formenton, who played in Switzerland last year.
All five players have spent some time on NHL teams but as of July, their contracts had expired and they hadn’t re-signed with any NHL or European team, essentially leaving them as free agents.
The five players face charges tied to an alleged group sexual assault in a player’s hotel room following a Hockey Canada Foundation Gala and Golf event in London, Ontario, on June 19, 2018.
Lawyers for the players say they have denied any wrongdoing and will plead not guilty in a trial by jury. The players are next due in court early next month to set a trial date.
None of the players have been disciplined by the NHL. In February commissioner Gary Bettman said he would allow the court process to play out before deciding on whether to take any disciplinary action.
When pressed about whether he felt the recent arrests of players for sexual assault pointed toward a systemic culture issue in the NHL and the sport, league commissioner Gary Bettman said to make that characterization would be ‘both inaccurate and unfair’ and that ‘99.9 per cent of the players … conduct themselves appropriately.’
Different standards for Russian teams
Professor Laura Misener of Western University is a sports scholar who focuses on safe sport and good governance. She said the seriousness of the charges would open the NHL to a firestorm of criticism if the players were allowed to play in Canada or the United States while the court process plays out. However, the bosses of Russia’s top pro league don’t appear to have the same concerns.
“That’s likely why you see them playing in some other leagues that may not have the same level of ethical standards and an understanding of these guidelines around human rights, violence and harassment,” said Misener. “They’re happy to get the best players that they can.”
Misener said she wouldn’t be surprised to see the three other players take pro hockey jobs as the season approaches. The KHL starts in the first week of September.
I think when we’re looking at the community of hockey, it might be appropriate to take a pause on having them play in games until criminal charges have gone through– Suzie Dunn, Dalhousie University
Another ethical wrinkle is Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
When Russia’s invasion began in 2022, the Canadian government advised players to leave Russia.
Suzie Dunn is an assistant professor at Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law. Her main area of study sexual assault and technology-based violence.
Dunn said professional hockey players should be held to a high standard of conduct, and should step aside as they face serious charges, because their fame essentially puts them in a leadership position.
“People are innocent until proven guilty but I think when we’re looking at the community of hockey, it might be appropriate to take a pause on having them play in games until criminal charges have gone through,” she said.
As for how the players are able to travel and work abroad while they face criminal charges, London lawyer Nick Cake said the courts lean toward not limiting freedom for those charged unless they’ve been deemed a flight risk.
“When we talk about surrendering passports or limiting people’s mobility, what we’re worried about is them not coming back to court,” he said. “[These players] are not making a break for it, it would be easy to find these people if if there was a need to find them so I don’t see why they can’t go overseas and play hockey.”