Former Canada world junior players plead not guilty in sex assault trial [Video]

Five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team have pleaded not guilty in their sexual assault trial that began Tuesday.

Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged with sexual assault early last year in connection to an alleged group sexual assault in London, Ont., after a Hockey Canada gala event in 2018. McLeod is facing an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

The players, all dressed in dark suits, entered their pleas one by one in a packed London courtroom Tuesday morning. Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia will preside over the trial, which is expected to unfold over several weeks, beginning with jury selection April 22.

News of the event first broke in May 2022 after TSN reported Hockey Canada had settled a civil lawsuit with the female complainant.

That report triggered a series of events, with intense scrutiny focused on Hockey Canada that eventually …