Defense Rests in Hockey Canada Trial

The defense rested in the widely publicized Hockey Canada sexual assault trial today, concluding six weeks of testimony.

The Kentucky Sentate gavel rests on the wooden sound block in the Kentucky Senate chambers before the first day of Concurrence began at the state Capitol in Frankfort, Ky. March 13, 2025. / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The defense gave their closing statements today in the Hockey Canada 2018 sexual assault trial, concluding six weeks of testimony.

Five members of the 2018 Canadian men's world junior championship team are accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman in a hotel room two weeks after the 2018 championship. The woman is known only as E.M., the result of a publication ban to protect her identity.

Of the five accused players (Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, and Michael McLeod), only Hart took the stand during the case. All five of the accused have pleaded not guilty.

The case was reopened by the London Police Department three years ago, in the wake of a report that Hockey Canada, who hosted the hotel Gala for the team, had quietly settled a civil suit brought by E.M. back in 2018. The case had originally been closed by the department in 2019, and London Police Detective Lyndsey Ryan was assigned to reexamine the evidence in 2022. Ryan was the final witness called in the case.

Ryan included in her testimony that E.M. had been "quite upset" when the case was reopened in 2022.

“She was actually quite upset,” Ryan said. “I felt pretty bad because … I got the sense that I was opening up some wounds that she was trying to close.”

A group chat including fellow team members Drake Batherson, Jake Bean, Maxime Comtois, Brett Howden, Sam Steel and Tyler Steenbergen was submitted into evidence, as the team members had discussed how to approach the investigation strategically. None of these members of the group chat have been accused of any wrongdoing. Of them, only Tyler Steenbergen testified.

The case is being decided by Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia alone, as the jury was dismissed two weeks ago. The dismissal was due to a complaint that defense attorneys had been laughing at members of the jury, behavior that the accused defense attorneys deny exhibiting. In an effort to avoid prejudice against the defense, Carroccia sent the jurors home.

The court is adjourned until June 9, when the defense will give their closing arguments.

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