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Alex Formenton

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Alex Formenton
Formenton with the Belleville Senators in 2020
Born (1999-09-13) September 13, 1999 (age 25)
King, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Ottawa Senators
HC Ambrì-Piotta
NHL draft 47th overall, 2017
Ottawa Senators
Playing career 2017–2024

Alex Formenton (born September 13, 1999) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played for the Ottawa Senators and HC Ambrì-Piotta. He was selected by the Senators in the second round of the 2017 NHL entry draft.

Following criminal charges related to the 2018 Hockey Canada controversy and sexual assault, Formenton retired from professional hockey.

Playing career

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London Knights

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Formenton was drafted by the London Knights 216th overall, in the eleventh round, of the 2015 Ontario Hockey League priority draft.[1][2] In 2016, Formenton formally joined the Knights and recorded 16 goals and 34 points in 65 games. Following that season, the Ottawa Senators selected him in the second round of the 2017 NHL entry draft, 47th overall.[3]

Formenton was invited to the Ottawa Senators' main training camp after attending its development camp in the summer of 2017.[4] At the end of training camp, Ottawa retained him on its NHL roster to open the 2017–18 season and signed him to a three-year entry-level contract.[5] Formenton made his NHL debut on October 7, 2017, becoming the youngest player to play a game for the contemporary Senators franchise.[6] He was a healthy scratch after that game, and on October 15, he was returned by the Senators to continue his development with the London Knights.[7] After the 2017–18 OHL season, Formenton was reassigned to the Belleville Senators, the Senators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.[8]

Formenton earned a spot on the Senators' roster for the 2018–19. On October 30, Formenton scored his first career NHL goal against Arizona Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta, the lone Senators goal in a 5–1 loss.[9] After nine games with the club, Formenton was reassigned to the Knights.[10]

Ottawa Senators

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After making the Senators out of training camp for two straight seasons, but failing to stick with the team for the 2019–20 season, Formenton was assigned to Belleville to help round out his game. Before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Formenton scored 27 goals and 53 points in 61 games with Belleville.[3] He was named to the AHL's All-Rookie Team alongside teammate Josh Norris.[11]

Formenton played with Ottawa for the 2021–22 season, establishing himself as a solid penalty killer.[12] In November, Formenton contracted COVID-19 and was placed in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.[13] He finished the season with 18 goals and 32 points in 79 games.[14]

HC Ambrì-Piotta

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After his contract expired following the 2021–22 season, the Senators and Formenton could not agree to terms on a new contract. Remaining unsigned and later becoming ineligible to appear in the 2022–23 NHL season, Formenton belatedly signed with Swiss club HC Ambrì-Piotta of the National League (NL) on December 14, 2022.[14] HC Ambrì-Piotta later issued a statement saying that their contract with Formenton would be re-evaluated at a later date should an investigation of an alleged 2018 sexual assault by members of the Canadian world junior team, of which Formenton was a member, reveal wrongdoing by the player. Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion did not clarify whether Formenton's contract status with the organization was related to the investigation,[15] though some in the media stated that the investigation into Formenton's involvement was the reason for the contract stalemate.[16] Canadian newspaper The London Free Press noted that it is "ultra-rare" for an NHL team to allow a top prospect like Formenton to be unsigned for an entire season.[17] Heading into the 2023 NHL entry draft it was anticipated that the Senators would trade Formenton's rights to free up a spot on the club’s reserve list, but Dorion was unable to find a trading partner.[18]

In the 2022 Spengler Cup tournament, Formenton scored a tournament-high six points in four games, helping propel HC Ambrì-Piotta to a historic Spengler Cup victory. In defeating HC Sparta Prague by a 3–2 score, Ambrì became only the fourth Swiss team to win the cup in its 99-year history.[19]

Court case and retirement

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On January 24, 2024, Ambrì-Piotta announced that it had granted Formenton a leave of absence for personal reasons and that he would return to Canada.[20][21] On January 28, Formenton surrendered himself to London police as he was charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault in 2018.[22] On February 5, the London Police Service announced that Formenton had been charged with one count of sexual assault.[23] According to August 2024 court documents released the following month, Formenton had "moved on from a hockey career" and was working in construction.[24]

International play

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Formenton, along with London Knights teammate Robert Thomas, was selected to represent Canada at the 2018 World Junior Championships,[25] where he helped Team Canada win a gold medal.[26] He would later be charged with sexual assault for an incident that occurred at the tournament.[22]

Personal life

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Formenton was born in Barrie, Ontario, on September 13, 1999. Formenton's early years were spent in the York area, and for the 2015–16 season he played for the Aurora Tigers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.[27] In his childhood, Formenton's mother cared for two adult brothers with autism and Down syndrome. Formenton spent time with them while his mother cared for them. While playing for the London Knights, he billeted with a family that included a girl with Down syndrome. He has attributed these experiences to his desire to "seek out some sort of cause or charity that helps people who have Down syndrome or autism".[19]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015–16 Aurora Tigers OJHL 54 13 13 26 66 5 2 0 2 0
2016–17 London Knights OHL 65 16 18 34 50 14 0 0 0 6
2017–18 Ottawa Senators NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2017–18 London Knights OHL 48 29 19 48 55 4 5 2 7 6
2017–18 Belleville Senators AHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2018–19 Ottawa Senators NHL 9 1 0 1 6 — — — — —
2018–19 London Knights OHL 31 13 21 34 50 11 4 14 18 14
2019–20 Belleville Senators AHL 61 27 26 53 65 — — — — —
2020–21 Belleville Senators AHL 13 4 0 4 22 — — — — —
2020–21 Ottawa Senators NHL 20 4 2 6 6 — — — — —
2021–22 Ottawa Senators NHL 79 18 14 32 59 — — — — —
2022–23 HC Ambrì-Piotta NL 22 10 3 13 74 — — — — —
2023–24 HC Ambrì-Piotta NL 24 10 6 16 24 — — — — —
NHL totals 109 23 16 39 71 — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2018 Canada WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 2 2 4 8
Junior totals 7 2 2 4 8

Awards and honours

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Awards Year
CHL Top Prospects Game 2017
AHL All-Star Game 2020 [28]
Spengler Cup winner 2022

References

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  1. ^ "Knights Introduce 2015 OHL Priority Selections". London Knights. April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  2. ^ Stubbs, Mike (June 24, 2017). "Alex Formenton of the Knights lands in Ottawa". Global News. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Garrioch, Bruce (May 14, 2020). "Prospect Watch: Alex Formenton has made strides on the road to the NHL". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  4. ^ Garrioch, Bruce (June 26, 2017). "Development camp lets Senators see prospects up close". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  5. ^ Stubbs, Mike (October 3, 2017). "Alex Formenton is making something rare, very real". Global News. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  6. ^ Warren, Ken (October 6, 2017). "Senators' Alex Formenton sprints into NHL with assists from ex-Leafs". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  7. ^ Sens Communications [@Media_Sens] (October 15, 2017). "The #Sens have reassigned Thomas Chabot to @BellevilleSens and have returned Alex Formenton to London (OHL)" (Tweet). Retrieved February 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Alex Formenton Reassigned to Belleville Senators". London Knights. April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  9. ^ Warren, Ken (October 31, 2018). "Formenton scores, but does he stay around for the season?". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  10. ^ Brennan, Dan (November 2, 2018). "Senators rookie Formenton returned to OHL's London Knights after playing his ninth game". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  11. ^ Garrioch, Bruce (May 20, 2020). "Senators' top prospects Josh Norris, Drake Batherson and Alex Formenton score AHL honours". Financial Post. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  12. ^ "Senators have promising young core, but head into off-season with work to do". Medicine Hat Chatnewstoday. The Canadian Press. April 30, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  13. ^ Garrioch, Bruce (December 9, 2021). "Snapshots: The effects of COVID-19 behind him, Alex Formenton has his speed back". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Sens RFA Formenton signs one-year deal in Switzerland". TSN. December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  15. ^ "Senators RFA Alex Formenton signs one-year contract with Swiss team". Sportsnet. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  16. ^ "Rumor: Serious allegations against Alex Formenton in Hockey Canada scandal". Hockeyfeed. October 26, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  17. ^ "Player from 2018 world junior team in ultra-rare NHL contract bind". The London Free Press. December 2, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  18. ^ Garrioch, Bruce. "Garrioch: There's a lot of moving parts as Ottawa Senators prepare for draft". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Exclusive Interview with Ambri Player Alex Formenton". Suisse Puck News. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  20. ^ "Former NHLer Alex Formenton Granted Leave by Swiss Team". The Hockey News. January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  21. ^ "Senators' Alex Formenton: Takes leave from Swiss club". CBSSports.com. January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Former Ottawa Senator Alex Formenton Turns Himself In To London Police". Sportsnet. Toronto, Ontario. January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "2018 Sexual Assault Investigation". London Police Service. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  24. ^ Dubinski, Kate (September 5, 2024). "Here's why a judge let 5 former NHLers skip pretrial arguments in their sexual assault case". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  25. ^ "Canadian Roster Set for 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship". hockeycanada.ca. December 16, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  26. ^ Courtepatte, Jake (January 10, 2018). "Formenton, Mete golden at World Juniors". King Weekly Sentinel. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  27. ^ "Barrie man among 2018 World Junior Hockey Team players named in sexual assault investigation". Barrie. January 29, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  28. ^ "Bracco, Liljegren added to All-Star roster". American Hockey League. January 26, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
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