Ex-NHLer Alex Formenton implicated in $20M lawsuit following 2018 World Juniors scandal fallout

Former NHL player Alex Formenton, who was involved in the 2018 Team Canada World Juniors scandal, has initiated a $20 million lawsuit.

Former Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton filed a $20.5 million lawsuit against Newport Sports Management Inc. and his former agent, Wade Arnott, according to reporting from Ronan O'Brien of The Logic. The athlete alleged in the lawsuit filed in Ontario Superior Court in Toronto that Newport and Arnott are guilty of various misconducts due to negligence, breach of contract, and a breach of fiduciary relationship. As stated by Formenton, he suffered income loss for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NHL seasons and missed out on the opportunity for further earnings via their misconduct.

The meat of Formenton's lawsuit centers around alleged mismanagement when his entry-level contract expired in July 2022. Formenton claims Arnott failed to properly advise him on the implications of rejecting a $787,500 (U.S.) qualifying offer from the Senators. He claims he wasn't told accepting the offer would have allowed for subsequent negotiations in January 2023 nor was he advised on possible extensions of the offer. Instead, in December 2022, he signed a $125,000 contract with Ambri-Piotta of Switzerland.

The issues over Formenton's contract play out amid the seriousness of some pretty stern criminal charges. In January 2024, along with Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, and Cal Foote, he was charged with heinous crimes. The charges stem from an incident that occurred in June 2018 involving members of Canada's 2018 World Juniors team and a woman, who is identified in court as E.M. The players, all of whom have pleaded not guilty, are set to go to trial on Sept. 8, 2025, although that date could start sooner than that if pre-trial matters are resolved.

Newport Sports Management, one of the biggest agencies in the NHL, with stars like Connor Bedard and Erik Karlsson, has made no comment regarding the lawsuit. Neither Newport founder Don Meehan nor Wade Arnott have returned media inquiries. Formenton's lawsuit further claims that Newport "acted in bad faith and high-handed conduct" for which he seeks another $500,000 as punitive damages.

As the litigation has progressed, Alex Formenton has moved on from pro hockey to a job in the construction industry outside of Barrie, Ontario, where he learned to operate and manage heavy equipment. The civil and criminal cases hang in the balance of his career and character for the now 25-year-old.

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