Amid the sexual assault allegations toward five members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior Team, two of the accused players' lawyers have released statements on the charges. Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart and Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube's legal representatives have made their stance clear, claiming innocence in response to the allegations.

Hart's lawyers have confirmed that he has been charged with one count of sexual assault and that the goalie will be providing a “full response” in court, per The Athletic's Chris Johnston. In addition, the lawyers also deemed the charge as a false allegation.

Dube's lawyers as well, have stated that their client will plead not guilty and defend the allegations in court, per The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun and The Sports Network CTV's Rick Westhead.

The other players involved in the case are Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, as well as Alex Formenton, who now plays in Switzerland.

All five men have been accused of sexually assaulting a woman back in 2018 during a Hockey Canada Foundation event in London. While the case was closed without any charges in 2019 by the London Police Service, in 2022, Hockey Canada quietly settled a $3.55-million lawsuit brought up by the complainant in connection to the 2018 incident.

Hockey Canada then received backlash from plenty of fans, sponsors and Canadian political figures. This resulted in the reopening of the case.

At the moment, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and the other accused players have taken indefinite leaves from their respective clubs to deal with the ongoing situation.

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