The two teenage hockey players in Nova Scotia charged with sexual assault after an alleged hazing ritual last fall pleaded not guilty on Monday.
One of the two teens appeared in youth court in Truro. In a dress shirt and slacks, he stood and stepped forward to a microphone when Justice Jennifer MacLellan called his name.
The second teen did not appear. Lawyers for both called in remotely to the courtroom and made the not-guilty pleas on behalf of the boys.
One side of the courtroom was filled with sober-faced parents, grandparents and supporters of the three alleged victims. They filed out of the courtroom silently at the conclusion of the brief hearing, later declining to comment.
The boys, both now 15, have been charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault with a weapon, which police have described as a mini hockey stick.
The charges stem from alleged attacks on three complainants on Oct. 3, somewhere in Colchester County, a rural part of the province north of Halifax that includes the town of Truro. One of the boys is also charged with assault for an alleged attack on one of the three players between Oct. 1, 2025, and Dec. 30.
The alleged attacks struck a chord nationwide as hockey has faced a reckoning in recent years for a culture of silence and toxic masculinity.
Hockey Canada, the sport’s national governing body, has been embroiled in controversy over its handling of sexual-assault allegations made against members of the 2018 national junior team (they were found not guilty in a criminal court case), and for quietly using registration fees from players across the country to settle such cases.
In response to that scandal, Hockey Canada launched an independent third-party process in 2022 for confidentially handling hockey-related maltreatment complaints and to ensure possible Criminal Code offences are reported to law enforcement and child-protection services.
Both Nova Scotia boys, who were 14 at the time of the alleged offences, have been jointly charged and will face trial together.
The case was adjourned until June 29, when the trial dates will be set.
In early February, the organization that governs hockey in Nova Scotia said it first learned about an allegation involving a minor on Jan. 30.
That’s also when the Mounties say a youth reported being assaulted during a private team gathering in October.
Hockey Nova Scotia has said it immediately referred the matter to the RCMP. It also confirmed that a youth hockey team in the Truro area had been suspended. The team has since been disbanded.
None of the allegations have been tested in court. The identifies of the accused and the complainants are protected from publication under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Both accused have been ordered by the court not to contact the three alleged victims. They are also both prohibited from entering a public dressing room unless they are accompanied by an adult.