TRIGGER WARNING: The following article contains details and references to sexual assault, which can be disturbing to victims.
Hockey Canada remains in hot water over their handling of the sexual assault allegations against them, including one involving players from their 2018 World Juniors team, prompting them to reopen their investigation.
Some of the players have spoken out on the matter, though the organization wrote in an open letter to Canadians that they reopened the investigation into the sexual assault, and that it will be mandatory for all players on the team to participate.
Below is the list of players on the roster.
Drake Batherson, #19, Forward, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
Though Batherson was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, he listed New Minas, Nova Scotia as his hometown on the Hockey Canada roster. He played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
Batherson, 24, currently plays for the Ottawa Senators, where he was drafted in the 4th round as the 121st pick of the 2017 Entry Draft, and has signed a six-year extension in September 2021 worth a total of $29.85 million.
Global News, a news company based in Canada, contacted Quartexx Management—the sports agency that represents Batherson—multiple times, but has yet to receive a response. They also have not received a response from the Senators or the NHLPA on him.
Jake Bean, #2, Defenseman, Calgary Hitmen
Bean, 24, was born in Calgary, Alberta, and played defense for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
Initially drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes as the 13th overall pick of the 2016 Entry Draft, he was traded to, and then signed with, the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2021 on a three-year deal worth $7 million.
Bean is represented by Wasserman Hockey. Regarding questions to three agents about the six players who are represented by Wasserman Hockey, Scott Fenton, a criminal defense lawyer from Toronto, released a statement denying any of the players were involved in the alleged sexual assault.
Kale Clague, #10, Defenseman, Brandon Wheat Kings
Clague, 24, was born in Regina, Saskatoon, but listed Lloydminster, Alberta, as his hometown on Hockey Canada’s roster. He played defense and was an alternate captain for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Kings as the 51st pick of the 2016 Entry Draft. He was then placed on waivers and subsequently was claimed off waivers by the Montreal Canadiens before signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Buffalo Sabres this offseason.
Clague is represented by Wasserman Hockey. Regarding questions to three agents about the six players who are represented by Wasserman Hockey, Fenton released his statement denying any of the players were involved in the alleged sexual assault.
Clague also issued an additional statement on Twitter on July 20:
As a member of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team, I feel it is important to state I was not in attendance at the Hockey Canada Gala, nor was I in London, Ontario on the day that the incident is alleged to have occurred.
Should my help be requested by those investigating this matter, I am fully prepared to cooperate in any way I can. Given the ongoing investigation I will not be providing any further comments at this time.
Max Comtois, #14, Forward, Victoriaville Tigers
Comtois, 23, was born and raised in Longueuil, Quebec, and played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the second round by the Anaheim Ducks as the 50th pick of the 2017 Entry Draft.
Comtois was named captain of the Team Canada World Juniors team in 2019, and in that same year, announced a commitment in a partnership with Telus to support their anti-bullying campaign.
He signed a two-year extension with the Ducks in 2021 worth $4.1 million.
Comtois is represented by the Roy Sports Group. Global News contacted the Roy Sports Group and Allain Roy multiple times, but have not received a response. The Ducks and the NHLPA were also contacted, but there was no response from them either.
Comtois posted a statement on the allegations on Twitter:
I am aware of the allegations of sexual abuse made against some of my former teammates on the Canadian World Junior Hockey team. The allegations are deeply troubling, and I am cooperating with investigators to help as much as I can.
I was not involved in any way with the alleged abuse, and, as far as I know, no one has ever suggested otherwise. Out of respect for the investigation, I do not intend to offer further comment.
Dillon Dubé, #9, Forward, Kelowna Rockets
Dubé, 24, was born in Golden, British Columbia, but listed Cochrane, Alberta, as his hometown on Hockey Canada’s roster. He played forward and was the captain of Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the second round by the Calgary Flames as the 56th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft, where he signed a three-year extension worth $6.9 million last offseason.
Dubé is represented by O2K Sports Management. His agent, David Cowan, released the following statement regarding Dubé:
All of Global News’ questions will be asked and answered during the pending NHL investigation. Dillon did not engage in any wrongdoing, and he cooperated fully with the independent London Police Service investigation in 2018, through which all players were then cleared of any wrongdoing.
Naming Dillon or attempting to associate him in any way with alleged criminal wrongdoing, or alleging that he was not cooperative with the London Police or was unwilling to cooperate with Hockey Canada, will constitute materially false statements constituting defamation causing serious financial and reputational harm.
Dante Fabbro, #8, Defenseman, Boston University
Fabbro, 24, was born in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and played defense and was an alternate captain for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the first round by the Nashville Predators as the 17th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft, and has signed a two-year, $4.8 million extension with them last offseason.
Fabbro’s agent, JP Barry, said that he “was asleep in his own room in a different part of the hotel that evening and was not involved in with the alleged incident that was investigated by Henein Hutchison” and that Fabbro “fully cooperated” with the probe.
Cal Foote, #6, Defenseman, Kelowna Rockets
Though Foote, 23, was born in Englewood, Colorado, he listed Kelowna, British Columbia, as his hometown on Hockey Canada’s roster. He played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
The son of two-time Stanley Cup Champion Adam Foote, Cal was drafted in the first round by the Tampa Bay Lightning as the 14th pick of the 2017 Entry Draft, where he signed a two-year, $1.7 million extension last offseason.
His agent, Kurt Overhardt, said that he was not involved in the alleged sexual assault.
Alex Formenton, #24, Forward, London Knights
Formenton, 22, was born in Barrie, Ontario, and played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the second round by the Ottawa Senators as the 47th pick of the 2017 Entry Draft, where he signed an entry-level contract with them in 2017, but did not make his NHL debut until the 2020 season.
He is currently a restricted free agent.
Formenton is represented by Newport Sports Management. Global News tried to contact them multiple times, but no response was received. The Senators and the NHLPA were also contacted, but neither of the two responded to calls.
Jonah Gadjovich, #11, Forward, Owen Sound Attack
Gadjovich, 23, was born in Whitby, Ontario, and played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors, and was named Player of the Game in Canada’s win over Slovakia.
He was drafted in the second round by the Vancouver Canucks as the 55th pick of the 2017 Entry Draft, where he signed his entry-level contract with them, but was placed on waivers and subsequently was claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks last season.
His agent, Jason Harshaw, released the following statement:
The events described in the story are serious and reprehensible. Jonah was not involved in the incident and does not have any comment on legal proceedings and the settlement involving other parties.
Carter Hart, #31, Goaltender, Everett Silvertips
Hart, 23, was born in Sherwood Park, Alberta, and was one of two goaltenders for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Flyers as the 48th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft, and signed a three-year, $12 million extension with them on August 2021.
Hart is represented by Wasserman Hockey. Regarding questions to three agents about the six players who are represented by Wasserman Hockey, Fenton released his statement denying any of the players were involved in the alleged sexual assault.
Brett Howden, #21, Forwrd, Moose Jaw Warriors
Howden, 24, was born in Calgary, Alberta, but listed Oakbank, Manitoba, as his hometown on Hockey Canada’s roster. He played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the first round by the Tampa Bay Lightning as the 27th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft, but was traded to the New York Rangers in 2018 in the trade that sent Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller to Tampa Bay, and was later traded again in 2021, that time to the Vegas Golden Knights.
On the first day of 2022 NHL Free Agency, Howden signed a one-year, $1.5 million extension with the Golden Knights.
Howden is represented by JP Barry. Global News reached out to Barry multiple times, but have yet to receive a response. The Golden Knights and the NHLPA were also contacted, but no response was received from them either.
Boris Katchouk, #12, Forward, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Katchouk, 24, was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, but listed Waterloo, Ontario, as his hometown on Hockey Canada’s roster. He played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the first round by the Tampa Bay Lightning as the 44th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft. He signed a three-year, $2.275 million extension with the Lightning on July 2021, but was traded in the 2022 season to the Chicago Blackhawks along with teammate Taylor Raddysh in exchange for Brandon Hagel.
Katchouk is represented by Mike Liut of Octagon Hockey, who released the following statement:
Boris has fully cooperated with the Hockey Canada investigation and will continue to provide that cooperation in any further investigation. Beyond this statement we are not commenting further.
Jordan Kyrou, #25, Forward, Sarnia Sting
Kyrou, 24, was born in Toronto, Ontario, and played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the second round by the St. Louis Blues as the 35th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft after playing with the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting. The Blues returned him to Sarnia in the 2018 season, though he was brought back later that season.
Last offseason, he signed a two-year, $5.6 million extension with them.
Kyrou is represented by Wasserman Hockey. Regarding questions to three agents about the six players who are represented by Wasserman Hockey, Fenton released his statement denying any of the players were involved in the alleged sexual assault.
Kyrou also issued a statement on Twitter saying he was not in London at the time of the incident, but did not say if he cooperated with the initial investigation:
As a member of the 2018 World Junior team, I am aware of the allegations made against certain members of that team.
I want to clearly state I did not attend the Hockey Canada Gala and was not in London, Ontario at the time of the alleged incident. I am prepared to cooperate with any additional investigations in the future if necessary. Given the ongoing investigations, I will not provide any further public comments.
Cale Makar, #7, Defenseman, UMass Amherst
Makar, 23, was born in Calgary, Alberta, and played defense for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche as the 4th pick of the 2017 Entry Draft, where he signed a six-year extension with them last offseason worth $54 million, going on to win a Stanley Cup with them in 2022 and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player for the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Makar’s agent, Brian Bartlett, released the following statement:
Both Cale and I have verified a number of times—and verify again, here—that he was not involved in any way in the alleged conduct from 2018. Cale fully participated in the external investigation. He met with the attorneys in person for an interview and answered all their questions.
Michael McLeod, #20, Forward, Mississauga Steelheads
McLeod, 24, was born in Mississauga, Ontario, and played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the first round by the New Jersey Devils as the 12th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft, where he signed a two-year, $1.95 million extension with them last year.
McLeod is represented by Joseph Resnick of Top Shelf Sports Management. Global News reached out to them multiple times, but no response was received. The Devils and the NHLPA were also contacted, to no avail.
Victor Mete, #28, Defenseman, Montreal Canadiens
Mete, 24, was born in Woodbridge, Ontario, and played defense and was an alternate captain for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the fourth round by the Montreal Canadiens as the 100th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft, but was placed on waivers during the 2021 season and subsequently was claimed off waivers by the Ottawa Senators, where he signed a one-year, $1.2 million extension with them.
He was not tendered a qualifying offer from the Senators, making him an unrestricted free agent. He has then signed a one-year, $750 thousand contract with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mete issued a statement on Twitter on July 30th, saying he was out of the country and was not present at the event when the assault took place, and added that he would cooperate with any investigation efforts:
There has been a great deal of news coverage of a legal settlement between Hockey Canada and the complainant in a sexual assault lawsuit on the night of a gala event and medal presentation ceremony held in June 2018, in London, Ontario.
Since the eight men identified in the lawsuit have not been named, the incident has left an unfortunate cloud over every player who was on the Canadian team that had won a gold medal at the world junior championship six months earlier, in January 2018.
I believe it is important for me to state that I was not present at the gala event celebration when this appalling event occurred. At the time, I was away on vacation with family and friends in Jamaica and only learned of the situation recently through media reports.
I am deeply troubled by reports of this incident and should my help be requested by those investigating this matter, I will fully cooperate in any way I can.
Colton Point, #1, Goaltender, Colgate University
Point, 24, was born in North Bay, Ontario, and was one of two goaltenders for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the fifth round by the Dallas Stars as the 128th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft, but has not played a game in the NHL. He is currently a free agent now.
Point is represented by Wasserman Hockey. Regarding questions to three agents about the six players who are represented by Wasserman Hockey, Fenton released his statement denying any of the players were involved in the alleged sexual assault.
Point issued an additional statement on Twitter on July 20th:
As a member of the 2018 World Junior team, I first became aware of allegations made against certain members of that team back in 2019. At that time, I cooperated fully with the initial Hockey Canada investigation.
I was not in any way involved in the alleged incident and I am prepared to cooperate with any additional investigations in the future. Given the ongoing investigations, I will not provide any further public comments.
Taylor Raddysh, #16, Forward, Erie Otters
Raddysh, 24, was born in Caledon, Ontario, and played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning as the 58th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft. He signed a three-year, $2.3 million extension with them last offseason, but was traded in the 2022 season along with teammate Boris Katchouk to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Brandon Hagel.
Raddysh is represented by Wasserman Hockey. Regarding questions to three agents about the six players who are represented by Wasserman Hockey, Fenton released his statement denying any of the players were involved in the alleged sexual assault.
Raddysh also issued a statement on Twitter saying that he first became aware of these allegations in 2019:
As a member of the 2018 World Junior team, I first became aware of the allegations made against certain members of that team back in 2019. At that time, I cooperated fully with the initial Hockey Canada investigation.
I was not in any way involved in the alleged incident and I am prepared to cooperate with any additional investigations in the future. Given the ongoing investigations, I will not provide any further public comments.
Sam Steel, #23, Forward, Regina Pats
Steel, 24, was born in Ardrossan, Alberta, but named Sherwood Park, Alberta, as his hometown on the Hockey Canada roster. He played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks as the 30th pick of the 2016 Entry Draft. He signed a one-year extension with them last offseason, but is now currently a free agent.
Global News tried multiple times to contact Steel’s agent, Gerry Johannson, and the Sports Corporation. The email listed on the agency’s website returned to sender, while the number on both the website and the NHLPA’s website played a recorded message saying that they did not take voicemail, per Global News.
There was no cell phone number or direct email contact listed on either site.
The Ducks and NHLPA were also contacted, to no avail.
Johannson later released a statement on The Sports Corporation’s Instagram account:
Sam Steel did not engage in any of the misconduct that has been described in the media, and as far as I know, no one has alleged that he did so.
Sam has cooperated with every investigation into the matter, and he intends to continue to cooperate.
Both the NHL and Hockey Canada are planning to investigate further, and while that is ongoing, Sam can’t comment further, so please respect that process.
Tyler Steenbergen, #17, Forward, Swift Current Broncos
Steenbergen, 24, was born in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, and played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors, where he scored the game-winning goal in the championship game against Sweden with 1:40 remaining.
He was drafted in the fifth round by the Arizona Coyotes as the 128th pick of the 2017 Entry Draft, but has never played in an NHL game and was traded last offseason to the Los Angeles Kings.
He is currently playing overseas with TPS of the Finnish Liiga.
His agent, Rick Valette of Octagon Hockey, said he could not comment, citing the investigation.
Robert Thomas, #27, Forward, London Knights
Thomas, 22, was born in from Aurora, Ontario, and played forward for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the first round by the St. Louis Blues as the 20th pick of the 2017 Entry Draft, where he was then returned to the OHL to play with the London Knights and the Hamilton Bulldogs before making his NHL debut in 2018.
After signing a two-year, $5.6 million extension with the Blues, he had his best season of his career, where he had 77 points in 72 games, and was rewarded with an eight-year, $65 million extension that begins next offseason.
Thomas is represented by Newport Sports Management. Global News tried contacting them multiple times, but did not receive a response. The Blues do not list media relations contacts on their website, though Global News contacted their team’s community relations department with the questions, and asked for assistance on identifying a media relations official. The NHLPA was also contacted, but no response was made.
Thomas released a statement on Twitter on July 19th denying his involvement, but did not say on if he cooperated with the initial investigation:
I am aware of the allegations made against some of the members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior Hockey team in London, Ontario in June of 2018. It is important for me to share with you my response to these allegations.
I had no involvement in, nor did I witness, the alleged incident. I look forward to cooperating with the NHL investigation as well as any other investigation if appropriate and as required. I will not be making any further public comments at this time.
Connor Timmins, #3, Defenseman, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Timmins, 23, was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but has listed nearby Thorhold as his hometown on Hockey Canada’s roster. He played defense for Team Canada during the 2018 World Juniors.
He was drafted in the second round by the Colorado Avalanche as the 32nd pick of the 2017 Entry Draft, but was traded last offseason to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Darcy Kuemper, and later signed a two-year, $1.7 million contract with the Coyotes.
Timmins is represented by Quartexx Management. Global News reached out to the agency and Timmins’ agent, Paul Capizzano, multiple times, along with reaching out to the Coyotes and the NHLPA, to no avail.
However, Timmins issued a statement on Twitter through Quartexx Hockey on July 18th, denying his involvement in the assault:
I am aware of the allegations made against some of the members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior Hockey team at the London, Ontario gala event in June of 2018.
I was not involved in any way in the incident that gave rise to the allegations that have been reported. No one alleges that I was present or involved and I have no personal knowledge of what occurred.
I cooperated fully with the initial Hockey Canada investigation and will continue to cooperate in any other investigations as required. As investigations are ongoing, I will not be commenting further on this matter.
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