EDMONTON — It’s a process.
A legal process. A moral process. A hockey process. A human process.
“Throughout this whole process,” began Alex Formenton, one of Hockey Canada’s ‘London Five’ whose National Hockey League career resumes in Edmonton after four years in exile, “I’ve been open and honest of my actions in it. Given that, I think that has granted me an opportunity today.”
It is a fact that Formenton was the first of five players to turn himself in to authorities in the 2018 sexual assault case that roiled Hockey Canada. It’s also true that when Hockey Canada issued suspensions for the five players this past August, Formenton was the only one deemed eligible for immediate reinstatement.
But the ultimate recorded fact on this file came in July 2025, when all five former members of Canada’s World Junior hockey team were found by Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia to be not guilty. The judge stated that she did not find the complainant’s evidence “credible or reliable,” and that “the Crown can not meet its onus on any of the counts.”
“Not guilty” does not mean “innocent,” however. Especially in the eyes of the jury of Formenton’s peers who are Canadian hockey fans.
An hour after the Oilers posted on X that they had signed Formenton on Wednesday, the tweet had accumulated 488 replies. Much of the response was negative, of course.
But here in Edmonton, signing players — or front-office staff — with red flags on their resumes is not new. The team has marched to its own drum as its Stanley Cup quest continues.
“I’m very grateful to the Katz family, Stan Bowman, Jeff Jackson (and) Mike Babcock for granting me this opportunity. I’m very excited to be an Oiler and look forward to trying to make the most out of this opportunity,” said Formenton, who turns 27 on Sunday, closing in on 10 years since the night in a London hotel that led to the trial. “Throughout the whole process, it’s been pretty transparent. Everyone is obviously aware of the outcome (verdict). It was definitely a difficult time, but I’m very grateful and thankful to be here today.”
Early word out of St. Louis is that Dillon Dube, another of the players involved in the case, has an inside track on a job with the Blues this season. Goalie Carter Hart, who also was on trial, took the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final last season.
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman, whose role in the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault controversy earns him a spot on the Oilers’ list of controversial hires, feels he’s in a better position to evaluate Formenton’s readiness, or whether he deserves this chance.
“There are second chances in life, and hopefully you can make the best of it and try to be a positive influence on your team, both on and off the ice, and also positive member of the community,” allowed Bowman on a Wednesday afternoon phone call.
Jake Virtanan. Evander Kane. Bowman. Mike Babcock. Now Formenton. The Oilers are familiar with giving second chances after legal trouble or controversy.
The team famously gave a 27-year-old Craig MacTavish a second chance in 1985 after he’d spent a year in a Salem prison for vehicular homicide.
Virtanen never made it through camp. Kane was an excellent player in Edmonton, though he eventually wore out his welcome here, as he has everywhere else. Bowman’s picture is still being painted, while Babcock hasn’t even coached a game with the Oilers yet.
Formenton — when last seen in the NHL — was a big, fast skating penalty-killing player whose skill set happens to be exactly what the Oilers currently need, with key penalty killers Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark starting the season on the injured list.
When Bowman learned of those injuries, he called up the list of UFAs in search of a premier penalty killer.
“I would say that it was a very short list. Almost no list,” said Bowman, whose eye turned to Formenton. “His profile as a player and his skill set has not changed. His calling card has always been his skating, his up-tempo pressure on the penalty kill. That’s his game. That’s what he is.”
In 2021-22, when Formenton scored 18 goals, his five short-handed goals tied for the NHL lead. He has only played 109 NHL games, and comes as a free player with a salary of $850,000. That means you can demote him to AHL Bakersfield and he does not affect your salary cap at all.
On a top-heavy team that vows to use its depth more this season, Formenton is big, fast, and undoubtedly hungry as a third-line winger.
“Certainly we understand the way that this is going to be looked upon,” Bowman said. “But at the same time, we do have to look at how we can help our team.
“The Hockey Canada reinstatement played a large role in this,” he said. “We spent a lot of time talking to Alex, and … we feel that he’s deserving of an opportunity.”
That opinion is not shared across Oilers Nation, let alone the greater hockey community.
But Formenton, like Hart, Dube and the rest, had his day in court. As awful as their conduct was that night in 2018, the reality is that our society long ago decided a not-guilty verdict frees a person to pursue employment.
It is not just a process, but the process.
“Over the last eight years, just like any other human, (he’s been) going through life lessons and maturing,” Formenton said. “There are lots of lessons to take from it moving forward, and (he is) looking forward to growing as a person and growing as a player on and off the ice.”