Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube among five players reportedly asked to surrender in 2018 World Junior investigation

Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube is one of five players who has been reportedly asked to surrender to police in London, Ont. in relation to an investigation into the 2018 World Junior team.

Last week, The Globe and Mail reported that five players had been asked to surrender to London Police, who have been manning an investigation into an alleged sexual assault that happened after a gala for the 2018 Canadian World Junior team.

Now, on Tuesday afternoon, TSN’s Rick Westhead reported that Dube, along with three other NHL players — Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, as well as New Jersey Devils forward and defencemen Michael McLeod and Cal Foote — are the remaining players directed to surrender. On Sunday, another member of that World Junior team, Alex Formenton, surrendered to London Police. Formenton has spent the last two seasons playing in Switzerland after the Ottawa Senators didn’t renew his contract.

All five, according to Westhead, are accused of sexually assaulting a woman on June 19, 2018. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Dube, 25, was the captain of that World Junior squad, and has been away from the Flames since Jan. 21, when the club announced he “attends to his mental health.”

“Dillon is under the care of health professionals, and we request that Dillon’s privacy is respected during this period,” the club added.

In a statement to Westhead, McLeod’s lawyers, David Humphrey and Seth Weinstein of Greenspan, Humphrey and Weinstein, they said McLeod has been charged with sexual assault.

“Mr. McLeod denies any criminal wrongdoing,” they said. “He will be pleading not guilty and will vigorously defend the case.”

In a subsequent statement provided to Westhead, Dube’s lawyers, Louis P. Strezos and Kaleigh Davidson, confirmed that Dube has been charged with sexual assault.

“He will plead not guilty and maintains his innocence. He will defend the allegations in court.”

In the week that followed Dube taking his leave, teams for all the aforementioned players issued statements, saying the players were taking leave of absence of their own.

On Tuesday evening, the Flames released the following statement:

In a statement to FlamesNation, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league did not have a comment.

According to Westhead, in a civil lawsuit, the complainant — referred to as E.M. in court documents, met some of the players at a downtown bar following the event. She alleged in the civil lawsuit, Westhead stated, that she left the bar with one man and had consensual sex with him but the man invited other players to the room, Westhead added, without E.M.’s consent to have sex with her, she alleged.

London Police initially investigated the allegations in 2019 without laying charges because the lead detective “didn’t believe there was enough evidence,” Westhead wrote.

In May 2022, TSN reported Hockey Canada settled a $3.55-million lawsuit brought by E.M. against the organization, the Canadian Hockey League, and eight unnamed players in connection to the alleged assault, Westhead added.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.