CHICAGO — Cal Foote has officially signed an American Hockey League contract with the Chicago Wolves, becoming the fourth of the five players acquitted in the high-profile sexual assault trial involving members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team to continue their professional careers.
The Chicago Wolves confirmed the signing of the soon-to-be 27-year-old defenseman on Monday. Fellow goaltender Carter Hart recently inked a deal with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights in mid-October, just as the door opened for players to secure new contracts. Meanwhile, forward Michael McLeod, who was found not guilty of additional charges related to the incident, signed a three-year deal with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk, where he had played previously.
Alex Formenton has been playing for HC Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss Hockey League since 2022 after the Ottawa Senators chose not to re-sign him. Dillon Dube, who spent the 2024-25 season with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk in Belarus, has not yet played this season.
All players except Formenton were in the NHL when charges were laid against them in January 2024 concerning the alleged incident in London, Ontario in 2018. Foote and McLeod were associated with the New Jersey Devils, Hart with the Philadelphia Flyers, and Dube with the Calgary Flames. With the teams opting not to extend qualifying offers to the players that summer, they became free agents. The NHL declared in September that the players would be eligible to sign starting October 15 and could play as of December 1, with Hart poised to potentially debut for Vegas as soon as Tuesday.
The NHL launched its investigation in 2022, following the emergence of the allegations. Foote, drafted 14th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017, has tallied five goals and 15 assists in 145 career NHL games.
This series of developments marks a hopeful turn for the players involved, allowing them to regain footing in their professional hockey careers while moving forward from a challenging chapter in their lives.