Brett Howden Testifies at Ongoing Sexual Assault Trial Involving Former World Junior Players

The high-profile sexual assault trial involving five former Hockey Canada world junior players continued Tuesday in London, Ontario, with NHL player Brett Howden taking the witness stand. Howden, currently a forward for the Vegas Golden Knights and a former teammate of the accused, testified that he was present at the bar and later in the hotel room where the alleged incident occurred in 2018. He is not facing any charges.

The five accused men — Cal Foote, Dillon Dubé, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, and Michael McLeod — have all pleaded not guilty. The complainant, identified as E.M., alleges she was sexually assaulted in a hotel room following a night out with several players from the 2018 world junior team. The case is now being heard by a judge alone after Justice Maria Carroccia discharged the jury last week. Both the Crown and defence agreed to proceed without a jury.

Howden testified that he vaguely remembered his time at Jack’s bar in London and did not recall specific details. “No, not particularly,” he said when asked if anything stood out, according to CBC News. He mentioned being on the dance floor with teammates and acknowledged consuming alcohol before and during the bar visit. Assistant Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham presented video footage showing Howden and the complainant at the bar, though he said he could not remember what was happening in the clip.

He confirmed he later entered McLeod’s hotel room while looking for food and saw several players present, including the five defendants. He also saw a woman he recognized from the bar and admitted being surprised to see her there. Another video showed Howden appearing to introduce E.M. to McLeod, but he told the court he had no recollection of doing so.

Earlier in the day, Tyler Steenbergen concluded his testimony. Steenbergen, also a former teammate, repeated his claim that E.M. appeared to invite sexual activity from players. “I wasn’t worried about her in any way. She seemed like she wanted to do stuff,” he said under questioning from assistant Crown attorney Heather Donkers, as reported by CBC News.

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Donkers challenged Steenbergen on his memory, pointing out inconsistencies between his past statements and current recollection, particularly regarding Carter Hart’s involvement. Steenbergen admitted that his memory of the events, including how Hart’s pants came off, was unclear.

The trial also heard that Steenbergen participated in a 2022 interview with a lawyer retained by Hockey Canada. He testified that during the interview, he was told there were witnesses who claimed to have seen Foote naked and allegedly placing his testicles on the complainant’s face. Steenbergen agreed he felt investigators were “trying to push [him] to confirm certain things,” according to CBC News.

The proceedings continue to draw national attention, with several current and former NHL players involved in testimony. The case remains ongoing, and further witness examinations are expected in the coming days.