Players cleared in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial are eligible to return to the NHL starting December 1 

left to right, Alex Formenton,Carter John Hart &Dillon Dube.(The files are licensed under:  Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license, the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license& the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.)

September 11,2025

RED FM News Desk

The NHL announced Thursday that the five players acquitted in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial will be allowed to return to the league when their suspensions expire on December 1. 

As unrestricted free agents, the players can sign with a team starting October 15 while awaiting full reinstatement. 

Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, and Carter Hart were each charged with one count of sexual assault and pleaded not guilty when the trial began in April. McLeod also faced an additional charge of being a party to the offences. 

After a two-month trial in London, Ont., all five players were acquitted on July 24. Following the verdict, the NHL initially stated the players would remain ineligible to compete while the league reviewed the judge’s findings. 

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