Acquitted world junior player Alex Formenton signs one-year deal with Edmonton Oilers
Alex Formenton has signed a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers after being acquitted of sexual assault charges related to the 2018 Canadian world junior team. While he is eligible for NHL play, other players involved in the same incident remain suspended by Hockey Canada.
Why it matters
The signing brings renewed attention to the 2018 Hockey Canada scandal and the differing paths to professional reinstatement for the players involved.
Formenton, a 26-year-old native of Barrie, Ont., spent three of the past four seasons playing in Switzerland for HC Ambri-Piotta and the other not in hockey at all. He recorded 33 goals and 19 assists for 52 points over 88 games with HC Ambri-Piotta. He last played in the NHL during the 2021–22 season with the Ottawa Senators.
He was one of five players from Canada's 2018 world junior team who were acquitted last year on sexual assault charges stemming from an encounter with a woman, known as "E.M.", after a Hockey Canada gala that year in London, Ont.
A year ago, the NHL reinstated the five players, allowing them to play beginning Dec. 1, 2025.
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