Carter Hart sexual assault case and Hockey Canada back in court on August 13 – NBC Sports Philadelphia

The trial in the sexual assault case involving Carter Hart and four other players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior Championship is not expected to begin any time soon.

A trial date had not been set Tuesday, an Ontario Superior Court spokesperson told NBC Sports Philadelphia. The case will be heard again in criminal court on August 13, the day Hart turns 26.

As reported in April, the trial does not appear to begin until after the start of the 2024-25 NHL season. TSN correspondent Rick Westhead reported Tuesday that “due to court backlogs, it is doubtful that the trial against Hockey Canada will begin no earlier than late April 2025.”

The Flyers begin training camp in September and start their regular season in October. An NHL regular season typically ends in mid-April. The possibility of Hart returning to the ice at some point next season is becoming increasingly unlikely.

The goalie is a restricted free agent this offseason. It is uncertain whether the Flyers will have to offer Hart a qualifying offer this month to retain his rights while the legal process is ongoing. A source said the Flyers have not made a decision on the matter as they await direction from the NHL.

Hart has been away from the team since January 23 after requesting and being granted indefinite leave.

On February 5, police in London, Ontario, announced that they had filed sexual assault charges against Hart, Dillon Dube of the Flames, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod of the Devils, and former NHL player Alex Formenton, stemming from an incident in June 2018.

A week after Hart left the Flyers, his lawyer stated that “he is innocent and will fully respond to these false allegations in the appropriate forum, a court of law.”

At Danny Briere’s end-of-season press conference on April 19, the general manager did not provide any update on Hart’s status. The Flyers plan to enter training camp with Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov as their goaltending duo.

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