The five hockey players accused of sexual assault in Canada have requested and received a jury trial.

Daniel Brown, one of the lawyers representing former NHL player Alex Formenton, confirmed the request for a jury trial in an email Wednesday to The Associated Press.

“Earlier this week, all five players elected a jury trial and are confident that community jurors will decide this matter fairly and impartially after hearing all the evidence and testimony,” Brown wrote.

The Globe and Mail was first to report on the steps leading to a jury trial. It was not yet clear when the trial would begin, although the backlog of cases in Canada could push it well beyond 2024.

Formenton and current NHL players Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames and Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils face charges in connection with an alleged sexual assault that occurred in London, in Ontario, in 2018. McLeod faces an additional charge of participating in an offense.

Lawyers representing the players said their clients would plead not guilty and defend themselves against the allegations. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 30.

Two years ago, London police reopened their investigation into the events of June 2018, after reports emerged that Hockey Canada had settled a lawsuit with a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by several members of the country’s junior world team after a fundraising gala in the city. between Toronto and Detroit. This led to charges in January and all five players turned themselves in to the police.

The NHL, which has been conducting its own parallel investigation, said it would wait until the legal process was complete before taking further action. Hart, McLeod, Foote and Dube are each on leave from their respective teams, and all are expected to become free agents after this season.

For this reason, Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league was content to let players be paid for the rest of the season while they were out and their contracts expire, rather than imposing suspensions.

“At this point, the most responsible and prudent thing we can do is wait for the legal proceedings to conclude, after which we will respond appropriately at that time,” Bettman said in early February at All -Star Weekend in Toronto.

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AP Hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/hockey