NHL players from sexual assault case not offered contracts - ESPN

The four players remaining in the NHL from the sexual assault case that rocked Canadian hockey and led to multiple investigations of the nation's gold medal-winning 2018 world junior team were not offered contracts by their respective teams on Sunday, a major development in the story from a hockey perspective.

Charges were filed in February in London, Ontario, against five players, all of whom took a leave of absence from their respective teams. On Sunday, the four still on NHL rosters — Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube — were not tendered qualifying offers, making them free agents, available to sign with new clubs as of Monday at noon ET.

The players are still awaiting trial after a woman sued Hockey Canada in 2022, alleging she was sexually assaulted by eight members of Canada's world junior team after a fundraising gala in London in 2018. Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit, and an investigation then revealed the organization had two secret funds to pay settlements on claims of sexual assault and abuse.

According to London Detective Sgt. Katherine Dann, the alleged incident happened in the early morning hours of June 19, 2018, after one of the accused met the victim at a bar and took her to Delta Hotel London Armouries.

According to court documents previously available, the woman, then 20, alleged that «John Doe #1» took her to a hotel room and invited seven other men into the room to perform undisclosed sexual acts, intimidating her and preventing her from leaving. The woman said in the lawsuit the men directed her to take a shower and asked her to say on video she was sober.

Dann said London Police received a call