{"id":137217,"date":"2025-09-12T08:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T08:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/137217\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T08:01:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T08:01:09","slug":"players-acquitted-in-high-profile-hockey-canada-trial-set-for-long-awaited-nhl-comeback-league-reveals-return-date-nhl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/137217\/","title":{"rendered":"Players acquitted in high-profile Hockey Canada trial set for long-awaited NHL comeback, league reveals return date | NHL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PlayersCanadian hockey players acquitted of assault charges given NHL clearance to return to action on December 1 (Evan Mitsui\/CBC) The NHL<\/a> has confirmed that five players acquitted in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial will be eligible to return to action on December 1. While teams can begin signing them as unrestricted free agents starting October 15, the league emphasized that reinstatement comes only after a lengthy review process and nearly two years away from competition.<\/p>\n

The five players acquitted in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial can return to the NHL<\/p>\n

Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, and Carter Hart were all charged in February 2024 with one count of sexual assault, stemming from a 2018 Hockey Canada gala in London, Ontario. McLeod faced an additional charge of being a party to the offence. After a two-month trial, Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia found the evidence \u201cnot credible or reliable,\u201d acquitting the group on July 24.Despite the acquittals, the NHL stressed that its own investigation concluded the players\u2019 actions \u201cdid not meet the standard of moral integrity.\u201d League officials met with the players, who expressed regret and remorse for their behavior. The decision to delay their reinstatement until December extends their absence from the game to nearly two full seasons.The NHL Players\u2019 Association welcomed the resolution, stating: \u201cThe players cooperated with every investigation. Upon their full acquittal\u2026 we initiated discussions with the NHL regarding the players\u2019 return to work. To avoid a protracted dispute that would cause further delay, we reached the resolution that the league announced today. We now consider the matter closed and look forward to the players\u2019 return.\u201d<\/p>\n

NHLPA reacts as players eye October signing window<\/p>\n

The ruling has left franchises weighing whether to pursue contracts with the five unrestricted free agents. Hart, a 27-year-old goaltender with substantial NHL experience, is seen as the most likely to draw interest when signings open in October. Still, executives remain cautious, with Comcast Spectacor CEO Dan Hilferty stating Thursday that the Flyers would not comment on Hart\u2019s situation until the league \u201cruns the show.\u201dDeputy commissioner Bill Daly underscored the league\u2019s stance earlier in the week: \u201cObviously, we take the matter very seriously, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s still under review.\u201dThe NHL\u2019s handling of the case reflects its attempt to balance the players\u2019 right to resume their careers with the league\u2019s responsibility to uphold integrity standards. For McLeod, Dube, Foote, Formenton, and Hart, the next chapter begins October 15\u2014though only December will bring their true return to the ice.Also Read: NHL\u2019s latest eligibility rule change could fast-track Penguins prospect Ben Kindel into pro hockey next season<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Canadian hockey players acquitted of assault charges given NHL clearance to return to action on December 1 (Evan…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":137218,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[24428,64,63,94424,24427,575,29311,94426,94425,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-137217","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-alex-formenton","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-hockey-canada-trial","12":"tag-michael-mcleod","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-nhl-comeback","15":"tag-nhlpa-statement","16":"tag-sexual-assault-acquittal","17":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}