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Cal Foote signed an American Hockey League contract with the Chicago Wolves, making him the fourth of five players acquitted of sexual assault charges in the high-profile trial of members of the 2018 Canadian junior hockey team, to continue his career.
The team announced a deal with the soon-to-be 27-year-old defenseman on Monday. Goaltender Carter Hart signed with the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights in mid-October, just as the window for players to sign new contracts opened.
Forward Michael McLeod, who was also found not guilty of an additional count of involvement in sexual assault, signed a three-year contract with KHL Avangard Omsk in October. McLeod also played for the club last season after initially signing in the Russian league with Barys Astana in Kazakhstan.
Alex Formenton has been playing for HC Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss Hockey League since 2022 after the Ottawa Senators decided not to renew his contract.
Dillon Dube spent the 2024-25 season with KHL Dynamo Minsk in Belarus, but the 27-year-old winger did not play this season.
All of the players except Formenton were in the NHL when they were charged in early 2024 in connection with a 2018 incident in London, Ont. Foote and McLeod were for New Jersey, Hart for Philadelphia, and Dube for Calgary.
Those teams did not extend qualifying offers to the players that summer, and they became free agents. The league announced in September that they would have the option to sign on Oct. 15 and play on Dec. 1, and Hart could make his Vegas debut as early as Tuesday.
